Davis man arrested after coronavirus test sample stolen from hospital, found in CVS shopping cart

A 40-year-old man was arrested after police say he stole a coronavirus test sample from a hospital in Davis over the weekend.

Shaun Lamar Moore of Davis was taken into custody on suspicion of burglary Sunday morning after an officer saw him riding his bicycle across an overpass. Authorities say that a day earlier, Moore stole a specimen that was being tested for COVID-19 at Sutter Davis Hospital and fled the scene on a bike.

Davis police officers responded to the hospital about 1:35 p.m. Saturday after an employee called to report the theft. Several hours later, police received a call from someone reporting that the sealed specimen had been found in a shopping cart at a CVS Pharmacy less than a mile from the hospital.

The lab confirmed that several layers of protective packing were secure and the specimen had not been tampered with, police said.

Authorities released a photograph to social media showing the suspect in the theft taken from hospital surveillance video and asked for the public’s help in identifying him. Officers took Moore into custody the next day.

Authorities say it is not clear why the specimen was stolen. There have been 93 confirmed cases of coronavirus and three COVID-19 deaths in Yolo County as of late Sunday.

“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,” the department said.