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Teen caught with pants down
Droopy drawers trip up robbery suspect
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Quicki-Kleen Car Wash owner Francine Escobar and two of her employees capture a youth they said stole a box of tip money from the carwash located in the 700 block of East Yosemite Avenue Thursday afternoon. - photo by GLEN N KAHL
Two high school-aged teens allegedly made off with the tip box at Quickie-Kleen Car Wash in the 700 block of East Yosemite Avenue Thursday afternoon setting in motion a foot chase by owner Francine Escobar as well as four of her employees.
Escobar and two of her workers ultimately caught one of the youths at Sheridan and Pine streets when the teen’s low riding pants fell down to his knees causing him to fall face down on a front lawn at the southwest corner of the residential intersection. The suspect fell  at her feet.
The trio jumped on him holding his head, legs, and arms until Manteca Police arrived on the scene.  As the youth called them racists and wetbacks – he was unable to move – his 5-foot-6 friend had jumped over the fence of a home across the street, witnesses said.
The scenario began when the two youths entered Escobar’s convenience store at the car wash about 3 p.m. with a loud remark, “It stinks in here.”  Escobar said they were in the store for less than a minute when they left and went into the carwash detailing area where the employee tip box was located.
Escobar said she heard her employees shout, “They took the tip box!”  She ran outside and began a foot chase calling for her employees to help her stop the two alleged thieves.
The chase was on, up Washington Street to Stewart Street, and west to Fremont Avenue.  They lost sight of the duo and Escobar told Genario – with the business 21 years – to go back and get the car.  Genario and Jose were riding inside the car and Escobar was running alongside.
The three of them drove around the four square block nearly three times looking for the two, driving in a loop from St. Anthony’s Church on North Street and back to Sheridan to the east of the car wash.
They spotted them at the Fir and Sheridan intersection with Escobar shouting, “Those are the guys!”  She jumped out of the car with the youths running away toward a side fence at a house on the north side of Pine Street – the first one made it over and disappeared, but the second was unable to clear the top.
He started running back toward Yosemite Avenue on Sheridan,  dashing  across the lawn of a home on the corner.  “It was a good thing his pants were loose, dropping down around his knees,” she said.
He fell right in front of her and she was afraid to go down on top of him, waiting for her two employees to catch up, she added.   With some of the money spread on the lawn they detained him while a witness called police saying there are three people holding a man down.
Officers said they believe the white, wooden tip box was ditched somewhere in the chase.  Police searched the route and back yards, but they were unable to locate anything.
After patrolman Grant Flory placed the teen in his patrol car, Escobar went to the window and attempted to counsel the youth on the error of his ways.  She told him how disappointed his mother was going to be for taking money from car wash workers who only make $8 an hour.  That was their tip money that they depend on to make ends meet, she added.
She said he finally apologized through the window of the police cruiser for stealing the money and for calling Escobar and her employees wetbacks and racists.
“After he was cussing me out, I still felt bad for him,” she said.