South Lake Tahoe, CA….On January 19, 2014 at about 12:00 pm South Lake Tahoe Police received a call from CalStar employees of a suspicious male who had tampered with an aviation fuel truck, entered a personal vehicle, and then stole a rental car from the Lake Tahoe Airport. It was reported the male was last seen driving north on the tarmac in a stolen sedan. Within minutes, police arrived and located the stolen sedan abandoned on Melba Avenue, but the suspect had evaded arrest on foot.

About 2 hours later (2:40 pm) El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a citizen in the area of Susquehanna Drive who reported a suspicious person near their residence. The description matched the subject from the earlier airport call. Both the Sheriff’s Department and South Lake Tahoe police department responded to the area and after a foot pursuit the suspect was taken into custody. The suspect was identified as 22 year old Anthony Dixon from San Jose, CA. Dixon was booked for vehicle theft, vandalism, and felony trespass on an airport. Additionally, possible federal violations may be pursued because the incident occurred at the airport.

The police department recognizes and commends employees of the airport and Cal-Star who noticed the suspicious activity and intervened by confronting the suspect, monitoring the suspect’s actions, and reporting these actions to the police. Security of the airport and of the community at-large depends on observant and engaged citizenry.

Airport and police officials plan a debriefing with airport businesses in an effort to bolster airport security and ensure our airport is safe and secure.