A suspected car thief’s orange and white cat has ended a three-hour standoff in San Francisco.
The man had run into a building in the SoMa district of San Francisco, then up to the third floor, where he threatened to jump out a window after it was discovered during a traffic stop that he was driving a stolen vehicle.
Hours later, when negotiators learned that his family had brought the man’s pet cat to the scene, they were able to use the kitten to finally coax the man down from the ledge.
“Using the cat was ingenious,” said police spokesperson Officer Albie Esparza to the San Francisco Chronicle. “Never underestimate the power of the love between people and their pets.”
“I think it was great to think outside the box like the officers did,” Esparza continued. “It made enough of an impact on this person to bring him down and come to his senses.”
“I don’t remember ever using a cat before, but it worked,” Esparza said. “The guy voluntarily came out of the window and opened the door and was taken into custody without incident.”
