Man driving car he just stole flags down police to ask for directions, police say

A man with multiple active Olympia warrants flagged down a police car to ask for directions while driving a stolen car last Tuesday.

At about 4:30 a.m. on May 11, Mario Reyna, 39, flagged down a marked Olympia Police patrol car at the intersection of Carriage Drive and asked for directions to get to Decatur Street. Immediately recognized by the officer, the officer checked to see if the vehicle Reyna was driving was stolen. It had been stolen, by Reyna, minutes earlier, he later admitted.

The emergency dispatch operator confirmed that Reyna had four active Olympia warrants, including two warrants for assault domestic violence and harassment.

When asked whose vehicle Reyna was driving, Reyna at first said it belonged to a friend named “Junior” but provided no further detail. Reyna told Olympia Police that he was attempting to get to his girlfriend’s house on the Yelm Highway, which is almost seven miles away from Carriage Drive.

Reyna was detained and searched. Officers found a driver’s license that did not belong to Reyna along with multiple credit/debit cards.

During a search of the vehicle by officers, it was noted in the police report that the vehicle Reyna was driving had its glovebox opened and appeared to be “rummaged thru.” Upon further questioning by Olympia Police, Reyna he said he had left a friend’s apartment, discovered that his PayPal account was not connected to his phone and couldn’t call a Lyft, so he began walking, became cold, and looked at vehicles. He passed by the vehicle, which was green, and green was his favorite color. The vehicle’s door was unlocked, and he located the key in the center console which started the car, and he began driving back to his girlfriend’s house on Yelm Highway before getting lost.

Reyna was booked into the Thurston County Jail for Possession of a Stolen Vehicle along with his multiple warrants.