Arraignment delayed in Davenport carjacking
Arraignment in case of Portland man who drove off West Cliff Drive into the ocean gets delayed by two weeks.
SANTA CRUZ >> An arraignment in the case of a Portland man who drove off West Cliff Drive into the ocean this week has been deferred by two weeks.
John Kenyanjui, appearing Thursday morning by audio teleconference before Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Rebecca Connolly, has been charged with seven felony charges, including carjacking, attempted carjacking, two counts of assault with a semiautomatic rifle, illegal discharge of a firearm and evading police. The 56-yearold man has been appointed public defender Alyssa Thompson, who requested the continued arraignment be set for 10:30 a.m. July 10.
In the meantime, Kenyanjui is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
According to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, Kenyanjui is said to have fired off his weapon near Davenport on Tuesday afternoon and then stole a driver’s Honda, in which he led law enforcement on a chase reaching speeds of higher than 100 mph. Once the pursuit entered Santa Cruz City limits on Mission Street, deputies terminated the chase, with Santa Cruz police tailing the vehicle from a distance. After Kenyanjui drove the car over the cliff and into the high-tide surf below, he emerged up the embankment at gunpoint. Rescue swimmers spent time attempting to ensure no other passenger had been trapped inside and the vehicle was removed by a crane Wednesday.
No injuries were reported in the case. Sheriff’s Office deputies are investigating whether or not Kenyanjui had any links to similar incidents in neighboring counties earlier in the day.