Suffering from dementia and spending most of his days in a wheel chair at a convalescent home, Donald Davis, 67, of Manteca, decided to buy a car while dressed only in his pajamas and slippers, police said, and ended up dying in a hospital hours later.
Manteca Police sergeant Ralph Colin said the man reportedly called a new car dealership in Manteca Thursday afternoon and asked the staff to pick him up at the rest home because he wanted to buy a new car.
Colin said because he had been a previous customer of the auto firm, not having his wallet or identification with him was not a hindrance. He took possession of the car and drove off, police said.
Meanwhile, Davis was reported missing to police.
He was tracked to the dealership after Sgt. Julie Renfroe came across a dealer’s phone number in his room at about 4 p.m. Shortly after that he was declared a missing person from the convalescent facility. Officers said when the family called the dealership searching for him they were told they had not seen Davis.
However when Renfroe called later, she got a different answer, that yes, he had bought a car from them, but no one had any idea where Davis might have gone, Sgt. Colin said.
At about 6:15 the CHP called from Dublin saying they had been in a high speed freeway pursuit with Davis that reached speeds of 103 miles an hour. When stopped the officer said he could see the man was confused and called an ambulance that took him to an area hospital. He died later Thursday night, Colin said.
Once the Manteca Police investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the district attorney’s office for any further action, Colin added.
Manteca Police sergeant Ralph Colin said the man reportedly called a new car dealership in Manteca Thursday afternoon and asked the staff to pick him up at the rest home because he wanted to buy a new car.
Colin said because he had been a previous customer of the auto firm, not having his wallet or identification with him was not a hindrance. He took possession of the car and drove off, police said.
Meanwhile, Davis was reported missing to police.
He was tracked to the dealership after Sgt. Julie Renfroe came across a dealer’s phone number in his room at about 4 p.m. Shortly after that he was declared a missing person from the convalescent facility. Officers said when the family called the dealership searching for him they were told they had not seen Davis.
However when Renfroe called later, she got a different answer, that yes, he had bought a car from them, but no one had any idea where Davis might have gone, Sgt. Colin said.
At about 6:15 the CHP called from Dublin saying they had been in a high speed freeway pursuit with Davis that reached speeds of 103 miles an hour. When stopped the officer said he could see the man was confused and called an ambulance that took him to an area hospital. He died later Thursday night, Colin said.
Once the Manteca Police investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the district attorney’s office for any further action, Colin added.
