3 adults with child in vehicle lead Hemet officers on high-speed pursuit

HEMET – Officers arrested three Hemet residents and a child was taken into protective custody early Friday morning, following a dangerous, high-speed vehicle pursuit that wound its way through the city and surrounding areas.

The pursuit began at about 12:35 a.m., after a Hemet Police officer saw a vehicle driving in the area of Thornton Avenue and Buena Vista Street “at a very high rate of speed,” according to press release from the department. When the officer first spotted the speeding vehicle, it was traveling eastbound on Thornton Avenue.

As the officer attempted to catch up to the vehicle – which did not have license plates on it – he saw it run several posted stop signs without slowing. The officer attempted to conduct a traffic enforcement stop on the vehicle, however the driver refused to stop and accelerated away at high-speed.

The officer initiated a pursuit and was quickly joined by numerous other officers. Pursuing officers requested assistance from the Riverside Sheriff’s Aviation Unit.

The pursuit continued east through several residential neighborhoods in the southern portions of the City of Hemet and portions of the unincorporated area of Hemet. At times, the fleeing vehicle reached speeds up to 90 mph.

At one point during the pursuit, the fleeing driver sped southbound on Girard, heading up to the Ramona Bowl parking lot. At the top of the hill, the driver suddenly made a U-turn, heading directly back towards the pursuing officers.

As the pursuit continued, the driver of the car drove in an extremely reckless manner, without regard for the safety of citizens or pursuing officers. With officers still in pursuit, the vehicle was seen running stop signs, stop lights and driving on the wrong side of the roadway.

The vehicle finally came to a stop in the area of Fairview and Mayberry Avenues, where “three adults and a child fled from the vehicle,” according to a police official. All four subjects ran into nearby neighborhoods and a large field, just as the sheriff’s helicopter arrived in the area to assist.

With assistance from the sheriff’s helicopter the first three subjects were quickly located and detained. The sheriff’s aviation crew spotted the fourth subject hiding in the middle of a nearby field. He was quickly detained by officers who had swarmed into the area following the pursuit.

All four occupants from the vehicle were identified as Hemet residents. The driver was identified as Joshua Angelo Marks, 19. The other two adults were identified as Nicholas Christopher Adams, 27 and Sylvia Adams, 25. The child was not identified, due to his age.

The three adults were booked into Hemet PD Jail for a variety of charges. They were later transported to the Southwest Detention Center. The juvenile was taken into protective custody and released to the Department of Social Services.

A jail records search revealed Marks was booked for felony evasion and felony child endangerment. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Christopher Adams was booked for a felony warrant. He is being held without bail.

The press release indicated Sylvia Adams was booked for felony child endangerment and was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail. A jail records search did not reveal any information regarding her booking.

 

 

 

 

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