RIVERSIDE: Early morning gunfire and vehicle pursuit leads to arrest of two suspects
Trevor Montgomery
RIVERSIDE – Early morning gunfire in downtown Riverside today led to a vehicle pursuit from Riverside into Moreno Valley. Two men were arrested following a foot pursuit at the conclusion of the high-speed chase, when the suspect’s truck spun out of control.
At about 2:10 a.m., Riverside Police officers assigned to the downtown entertainment district were patrolling the 3700 block of Orange Street when they heard several shots fired in the area.
Area showing downtown Riverside, where the initial shots were fired, leading to the vehicle pursuit into Moreno Valley.
As officers swarmed into the area, several witnesses pointed to a truck leaving the area and indicated the occupants inside the vehicle were responsible for the shooting. A sergeant, one of the first officers on scene, immediately put out a description of the truck and suspects over the radio.
Based on the witness statements and last known direction of travel, a K9 officer quickly located the truck a few blocks away, near the intersection of Mission Inn Avenue and Lime Street. The K9 officer initiated a traffic stop and the vehicle initially yielded. As additional officers were responding to the location and preparing to conduct a high-risk “felony stop,” the suspects fled the area at a high rate of speed.
The pursuit entered onto the Eastbound 60 freeway and continued for several miles, as the two suspects continued to elude capture. The dangerous pursuit ended on the off-ramp at Box Springs Road, when the suspect lost control of his vehicle and spun out. Both occupants immediately fled from the vehicle, however they were quickly captured and arrested. No firearms were found inside the suspect’s truck.
Back at the scene of the initial shooting incident that led to the pursuit, officers located two fresh bullet holes on the side of the downtown parking structure. Officers also located additional evidence related to the shooting. The two suspects involved in the pursuit could not be linked to the shooting at that time and that incident is still under investigation.
A press release from Riverside PD stated that after receiving medical clearance, the driver was booked for felony evading police and obstruction. The passenger was booked for obstructing police.
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