A homeowner woke to find a fugitive who had evaded police following a pursuit hiding behind his sofa early Wednesday.
Eric Stanton said he could not believe his eyes when he saw the man cowering behind his couch in his Upland home just after 3 a.m.
The brazen suspected car thief then begged his unwilling host to let him hide out until the officers had left the scene.
"He asked, 'can you hide me?' I'm like, 'no, get out of my house," Stanton said,
His unwelcome visitor made his way to the front door, but changed his mind when he saw the police outside.
"He came back and asked me... 'help me, help me,' I was like, 'no way,' Stanton said.
The man then finally did leave the house, but tried to come back in one final time before trying to make a run for it, but he was soon captured.
The manhunt started after officers had chased the man to the 1500 block of Albright Avenue just before 3 a.m, and the man then fled on foot, an Upland Police Department spokesman said.
He then allegedly attempted to break into several homes, before successfully entering Stanton's house.
Police later called at the house, and the owners came to the door. After a search he was found cowering behind a couch and arrested.
Adrian Arambulo contributed to this report