Authorities released this security photo of a man, later identified as Shaun Lamar Moore, suspected of taking a COVID-19 sample from Sutter Davis Hospital. Courtesy photo

UPDATE: The man suspected of taking a possible COVID-19 specimen from Sutter Davis Hospital on Saturday has been taken into custody, Davis police announced Sunday afternoon.

Shaun Lamar Moore, 40, was arrested shortly before noon while riding his bicycle in the 1700 block of Cowell Boulevard, Deputy Police Chief Paul Doroshov said.

“He was cooperative and taken into custody without incident,” nearly 24 hours after the alleged theft of the packaged specimen that was later recovered in a shopping cart inside the CVS store at The Marketplace shopping center, Doroshov said.

At this point, Moore, a local transient, faces a single county of burglary, the motive for his alleged actions still under investigation.

“They’re going to have to interview him and figure out why,” said Doroshov, who confirmed that the specimen, which was awaiting lab testing when it was taken, did not appear to have its seals tampered with.

Police later added in a social media post released Sunday afternoon: “Davis police are familiar with Moore and are determining whether any mental health conditions played a factor in this incident. Although the incident is very serious, detectives do not believe he intended to harm himself or others.”

Doroshov said police received tips about the burglary suspect throughout the night, a break in the case coming after an officer “used their community policing skills to talk to members of our homeless community.”

Meanwhile, a Sutter Health spokesperson released the following statement Sunday regarding the incident:

“Sutter Davis Hospital is committed to providing high-quality care to the Yolo County community and beyond. We take this situation very seriously. We are conducting our own internal investigation, as well as working closely with county officials and law enforcement on the matter.”

Original story:

Davis police are seeking a man who is suspected of taking a possible COVID-19 specimen from Sutter Davis Hospital on Saturday, only to abandon it at a nearby shopping center.

The incident, which has been classified as a burglary, occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. at the West Davis hospital, where employees reported that an unidentified person had entered the building and stole a COVID-19 specimen that was awaiting lab testing, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said.

“The suspect left on a bicycle, but he was not located by responding officers. There is no information at this point why he took the specimen,” said Pytel, who due to the ongoing investigation did not release the area of the hospital where the specimen was taken.

The search for the stolen property ended at about 6:15 p.m., when police received a call that a sealed COVID-19 specimen had been found in a shopping cart inside the CVS store at The Marketplace shopping center on West Covell Boulevard, east of the hospital, according to Pytel.

“Officers retrieved the specimen and Sutter Davis Hospital was able to confirm it was the missing specimen,” Pytel said. “The lab also confirmed that several layers of protective packing were secure and the specimen had not been tampered with.”

Now, police continue to search for the theft suspect, whose image was captured by security cameras inside the hospital. He wore dark-colored clothing including what appeared to be a UC Davis sweatshirt, gloves and a medical mask pulled down when the image was taken, possibly as he entered the hospital.

“Sutter Davis Hospital is working cooperatively with detectives and was able to provide a photograph of the person, which is being released with the desire that someone is able to help locate him,” Pytel said.

Anyone with information about this person is asked to contact the Davis Police Department at 530-747-5400.

— Reach Lauren Keene at [email protected] or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene