HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A man was charged in court after he was arrested on suspicion of stealing a yellow bus and eluding police, then crashing into a barrier outside Andersen Air Force Base.
The Guam Police Department on Wednesday arrested Jesse Taitano Basaliso, 37, after responding to reports of a yellow bus being stolen from the Core Tech barracks off Route 34, or the road toward Two Lovers Point.
Basaliso was charged Thursday in the Superior Court of Guam. Court documents state Basaliso was seen by workers to have gotten in the bus and rammed the main gate of Two Lovers Point.
Officers subsequently responded and learned the bus was in the NCS area of Dededo before locating the bus and attempting to conduct a traffic stop. Basaliso did not comply, even after officers used their public-address system and yelled at him to stop multiple times, documents state.
“The Defendant appeared to stop and speed up multiple times. At that point, the Defendant was approaching the Andersen Air Force Base, and came to a stop when the traffic light was red. The officers announced their presence and told the Defendant to stop, but the Defendant continued to motor when the light turned green. Soon after the Defendant collided with a concrete barrier by the AAFB,” the complaint stated.
As officers approached the bus, Basaliso allegedly said, “I’m here for recruitment,” the complaint stated.
The bus was observed by officers to have a cracked windshield, a sliver of metal sticking out of the front bumper, a partially dented door and a missing window pane. The gate to Two Lovers Point also appeared to be bent and there were pieces of glass and amber pieces from the bus’ headlight nearby.
Basaliso was charged with theft of a motor vehicle as a second-degree felony and eluding a police officer and criminal mischief as misdemeanors.
Basaliso’s felony charge had a notice of commission of a felony while on felony release. According to the Office of the Attorney General, Basaliso was charged with felony theft by receiving in 2022.
Jesse Basaliso
