Two arrested after 100 mph pursuit through Hemet
Anthony Higareda was arrested after a dangerous high-speed pursuit in Hemet.
HEMET – Hemet Police officers arrested two men following a short but dangerous high-speed pursuit of a stolen pickup truck through the city of Hemet this morning, Monday, June 6. The two men were arrested after the stolen truck they were in became stuck in a field and could no longer be driven, according to a Hemet PD official.
At the end of the pursuit, officers identified the driver as Anthony Ray Higareda, 27. The passenger was identified as Edward Alexander Bacca, 24. Both men are transient residents of Hemet. Officers arrested both men and booked them into jail on eight felony charges.
At 6:10 a.m., City of Hemet emergency dispatchers received information about a Ford F350 that was stolen from the city of Moreno Valley at 5:20 a.m. Dispatchers broadcast the information about the stolen vehicle to Hemet Police officers.
Just two minutes later, an officer notified dispatchers and other officers he had received a Lo-Jack activation from the stolen truck in the area of State Street and Devonshire Avenue.
“Lo-Jack is a vehicle theft recovery system activated when a car is reported stolen,” a police official explained. The activation returned to the truck that was stolen 50 minutes earlier.
Within two minutes of the initial Lo-Jack activation, an officer located the stolen truck in the area of State Street and Menlo Avenue. The officer notified responding officers the vehicle was occupied by two males.
The officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle and Higareda immediately pulled onto the Valley Restart parking lot in the 200 block of East Menlo Avenue. Higaredo initially pulled to a stop in the parking lot before fleeing from the officer at a high rate of speed.
The officer requested priority back-up and initiated a vehicle pursuit. He was joined almost immediately by a second officer, who had already been responding to the location of the stolen truck.
During the pursuit, Higareda drove in an extremely reckless manner, without regard for the safety of morning commuters or pursuing officers. With officers chasing the stolen truck, Higareda reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, according to pursuing officers. He also drove on the wrong side of the road and failed to stop for at least 3 traffic lights and stop signs as he fled westbound on Kirby Street.
The dangerous pursuit continued to the area of Menlo and Cawston Avenues where Higareda drove the stolen truck off-road through a field while attempting to elude pursuing officers.
As additional officers converged on the area, the stolen truck eventual became stuck in a ravine where the vehicle became disabled. Higareda fled from the truck on foot while Bacca remained in the vehicle and surrendered to officers. Officers detained Bacca without further incident.
Two officers chased Higareda through the field as he fled in the direction of Winco. The first officer caught up to Higareda and attempted to take him into custody. However, Higareda violently resisted arrest, fighting with the officer.
When the second officer caught up to the first officer and Higareda, the alleged suspect was still actively struggling with the officer. Together, the two officers overpowered Higareda and he was apprehended and detained.
Officers recovered the stolen vehicle at 6:20 a.m., exactly one hour after it was stolen.
Officers conducted records checks on both men, at which time they learned Higareda was on formal probation for previous auto theft. They also learned Bacca was on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) for being a felon in possession of ammunition, in violation of his probation terms. During a subsequent search, officers discovered Bacca had stolen property in his pockets.
Officers arrested both men and they were booked into the Southwest Detention Center.
A jail records search revealed Higareda was booked on suspicion of two counts of recklessly evading officers, resisting arrest with violence, receiving stolen property, possession of stolen property and violation of probation; all felonies. Higareda is being held in lieu of $100,000
Bacca was booked on suspicion of possession of stolen property and revocation of probation. Both charges are felonies. He is being held without bail, pending a revocation hearing.
Both men were scheduled to be seen at an unspecified court, June 8.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Just cuz my brother run from u people do sent make him a bad gay and give u the right to blast him all over the Facebook or news paper .and u guys .didn’t even asks him .he’s going through a lot whit his family that don’t help but put him down and his kids being gone and are dad dieing all in one time that s what happens when u cry out for help alluded u get push away. My brother is ADHD .allndndnd the other guy not allndndnd bad guys he my friend and has his own problem s .I just hope u people .help others when asks cuz next time it can be worse …
I am sorry to hear your brother is going through a difficult time in his life. As far as writing a news article about Monday’s dangerous, high-speed pursuit – that is what the news is for; to keep citizens informed about what is happening in their communities. I as the writer am not here to judge anyone for their actions but to just report the facts. Hopefully your brother and his friend will learn from the incident and will think twice before endangering the lives of other motorists and citizens. Fleeing at speeds in excess of 100 mph on a road with a 45 mph speed limit and driving on the wrong side of the road is beyond dangerous and could have ended much worse.
Best wishes to you and your family.
-TM
Amen
And they keep letting these guys out early.
Trevor, that is a great response towards a sensitive topic. Kudos!
Sorry this response is coming so late, but I just discovered the article. Studying the Bible has helped many people to change their lives for the better. I can recommend it to your brother as a positive step toward a better life. And it is something that can be beneficially done while incarcerated, when a person has time to read and reflect on things. I hope your brother responds to this opportunity to learn the good news of better things to come. He can receive help while there to draw close to God, and it will surely have a positive impact on the rest of his life.
Sorry, your brother is an idiot, I guess it’s not his fault he probably has had people like you make excuses for him all his life. I guess it’s not his fault he was in a stolen vehicle. It must be his ADHD because everyone who has it is a criminal right? Maybe it’s his parents fault, let me think are there any other possible excuses for being so simple? Let me guess he has a disease called meth addiction too maybe. We gonna blame it on that? Poor guy he just accidentally made all the wrong choices? Get a grip your being codependent.