Phoenix PD: Suspect caught in new crime right after jail release

PHOENIX - Authorities say a man has been arrested after he was caught apparently trying to steal a vehicle from an auto shop across the street from Phoenix Police Department headquarters.

Police say that around 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, an off-duty police sergeant was driving his son, a police communications officer, to the headquarters located at 620 W. Washington Street.

While passing Kincaid's Garage on the northeast corner of 7th Avenue and Adams Street, Sgt. Tommy Thompson saw a man reaching his arm into the driver's window of a Jeep Cherokee, apparently trying to open the door.

Thompson dropped his son off and pulled into the parking lot of police headquarters to watch the suspect.

He also called the incident in to Crime Stop.

After a few minutes the suspect walked away from the garage, which was closed, and Thompson began to follow him to a McDonald's parking lot at 7th Avenue and Van Buren Street until uniformed officers arrived.

Police say the suspect, identified as 25-year-old Glen Robert Cook, was carrying a windshield wiper arm.

Cook was driven back to the garage where officers found Cook had allegedly broken into the vehicle.

The owners of the garage and Jeep were notified and Cook was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on burglary charges.

Police say Cook had just been released from that same jail an hour before he was seen at the garage. He had been booked on Thursday for retail theft.

Cook reportedly apologized to police, saying that he just needed to go home.