Police Say Man Was Caught Pulling on Squad Car Door Handles in the 2nd Precinct Parking Lot
Ngozichukwu Ijiomah, 47, was arrested on two counts of breaking and entering a vehicle after Mobile police say officers watched him pulling on the handles of marked patrol cars outside the 2nd Precinct.
A 47-year-old Mobile man was arrested early Saturday after officers say they watched him working his way down a row of marked police vehicles, pulling on the door handles — in the parking lot of a police precinct. Ngozichukwu Ijiomah was charged with two counts of breaking and entering a vehicle and booked into Mobile County Metro Jail, according to the Mobile Police Department.
The Location Is the Story
The incident happened at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 11, in the parking lot of the Mobile Police Department's 2nd Precinct at 5441 Highway 90. Officers on scene observed a man pulling on multiple police vehicle handles and detained him. There are few places in Mobile County less advantageous to attempt entry into a vehicle than a lot filled with police cruisers, staffed around the clock, and covered by departmental surveillance.
What "Breaking and Entering a Vehicle" Means in Alabama
The charge is defined under Alabama Code § 13A-8-11(b). A person commits unlawful breaking and entering a vehicle if, without the owner's consent, they break into and enter a vehicle or any part of a vehicle with the intent to commit a felony or theft. The statute defines "enters" as intruding any part of the body, or any physical object connected with the body, into the vehicle.
It is a Class C felony — not a misdemeanor — which is why two counts represent a serious exposure. Two counts were filed, corresponding to the vehicles police say he attempted to enter. The offense carries a sentencing range of one year and one day to ten years in a state correctional facility.
The Legal Process Ahead
Ijiomah has been charged and is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. Felony cases in Mobile County generally begin in district court, where a defendant can ask for a preliminary hearing to test whether there is probable cause. Prosecutors may then present the case to a Mobile County grand jury; only an indictment moves a felony to circuit court for arraignment and, if no plea agreement is reached, trial.
