UPDATED: Carjacking suspect fatally shot after Jurupa pursuit leads to La Quinta

On-scene reporting, photography and videography: William Hayes / Loudlabs News

 

UPDATE: 07/29/2016 10:50 p.m. With sheriff’s release of information

SEE ORIGINAL STORY BELOW

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Jurupa Valley Police Station responded to a reported carjacking Thursday, July 28, at about 3:50 p.m.

The carjacking began near the intersection of Mission Boulevard and Crestmore Road in Jurupa Valley.

“Two female victims reported a black male adult approached them,” Riverside County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Deputy Michael Vasquez explained in an official press release from the department. The suspect “advised he was armed with a handgun and threatened to shoot them both if they did not get out of the vehicle.”

The victims did not sustain any injuries during the incident.

Deputies were in the area at the time the incident was reported and arrived on scene within moments.

When they arrived in the area, responding deputies quickly located the suspect in a parking lot near where the carjacking occurred.

While deputies attempted to bring the incident to a peaceful resolution, the man refused verbal commands to exit the stolen vehicle. Deputies deployed a less lethal pepper ball launcher into the vehicle, in an effort to subdue and arrest the suspect. While deputies were still trying to negotiate with the suspect, he then fled inside the victim’s vehicle, at which time a vehicle pursuit was initiated.

“The suspect entered the highway and drove into San Bernardino County where the allied agencies assumed the pursuit,” Vasquez explained

“The pursuit returned to Riverside County and eventually entered the city of Palm Desert, where the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department re-assumed the role of lead agency attempting to apprehend the suspect,” according to Vasquez.

The pursuit eventually entered the city of La Quinta where officers were successful in deploying a spike strip. “The spike strip effectively deflated the vehicle tires; however, the suspect continued to drive on the vehicle rims,” according to Vasquez.

The vehicle eventually came to rest on Jefferson Street south of Avenue 52. Members of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team responded to the location with two Bearcat armored rescue vehicles and began communicating with the suspect, according to Vasquez.

Members from the Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team (SWAT) attempted to talk with the suspect; however, he refused to comply with requests to exit the vehicle and surrender.

“At about 7:00 p.m., the suspect exited the vehicle, but refused to comply with orders to surrender.” according to Vasquez.

“A Riverside County Sheriff’s K9 was deployed, and attempted to apprehend the suspect but he continued to violently resist the K9,” according to Vasquez. While he was fighting with the K9, the suspect was seen reaching into his pocket and clothing.

“The suspect would not follow verbal commands to surrender,” Vasquez said. “SWAT deputies also deployed bean bag shotgun rounds, which had no effect on the suspect.”

“During this contact, an officer-involved shooting occurred,” according to Vasquez.

Deputies “summoned paramedics to the scene where the suspect was pronounced deceased,” Vasquez said about the deadly officer-involved shooting.

“The suspect’s name will not be released at this time, pending notification of next of kin,” Vasquez continued.

No officers or citizens were injured during the pursuit or the officer-involved shooting, according to Vasquez. However, the suspect struck at least two vehicles during the pursuit.

The officer involved has been placed on administrative leave per Department policy. The involved officer’s name will not be released at this time.

Investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff Department’s Central Homicide Unit responded and assumed the investigation.

This is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding the incident is encouraged to contact Central Homicide Investigator Alfaro at (760) 393-3528 or Investigator Burgie at (760) 863-8990. Callers can refer to incident file number R162100010 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

ORIGINAL STORY

A carjacking suspect was shot and killed in La Quinta after a vehicle pursuit that began in Jurupa Valley and lasted more than three hours.

The long and dangerous pursuit wound its’ way through two counties, numerous cities, and multiple jurisdictions from Jurupa Valley, then northbound out of Riverside County into San Bernardino County. The pursuit then wound its’ way back into Riverside County where it continued all the way to the desert city of La Quinta.

Deputies from numerous Riverside County Sheriff’s stations and the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, Riverside Police officers, and California Highway Patrol officers assisted in the lengthy pursuit.

At about 7:45 p.m., Riverside County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Deputy Mike Vasquez confirmed the carjacking and shooting had occurred. However, he could not provide any further information about the shooting, citing an ongoing and active investigation. Vasquez advised a press release would be issued about the pursuit and shooting incident at a later time.

The suspect, who has only been described as an adult male, has not been identified pending notification of his family.

The incident began in Jurupa Valley shortly before 4 p.m. when a carjacking was reported to Riverside County emergency dispatchers. The carjacking reportedly occurred in the area of Mission Boulevard and Crestmore Road.

A victim of the carjacking told sheriff’s officials the suspect told the victims he had a gun before he took their vehicle.

The vehicle was described as a black, Nissan Sentra with dark tinted windows.

Deputies quickly located the victim’s vehicle in a parking lot in the same area where the carjacking was reported. Other deputies quickly converged on the area to contain the suspect, who was reportedly seen taunting the deputies while barricaded inside his vehicle.

In spite of deputies issuing orders for the suspect to exit the stolen vehicle, the man sped off, leading officials on a chase that wound its’ way through Jurupa Valley, where the suspect reportedly hit at least one vehicle before he drove into the Crest Steel plant at the dead end of General Road.

After entering the steel plant the subject smashed through a fence and drove along the railroad tracks to the north of the plant. After crashing through the fence at the steel plant, the suspect’s vehicle was seen dragging hundreds of feet of barbed wire behind his stolen vehicle, further endangering citizens and other motorists.

The suspect then continued to lead pursuing deputies through Jurupa Valley. During the pursuit, the man drove in an extremely reckless manner, without regard for the safety of pursuing deputies or other motorists. He was seen driving into oncoming traffic and failing to stop for stop lights as deputies continued pursuing him.

Due to the extremely reckless manner in which the suspect was driving, deputies backed off the pursuit and allowed the Riverside County aviation unit to take over, while they trailed from a safe distance.

As the suspect continued fleeing, he struck a second vehicle before he eventually entered onto the eastbound I-60 freeway. Once on the freeway, California Highway Patrol Officers eventually took over the pursuit.

The suspect next went northbound on the I-215 freeway, as CHP officers assumed the pursuit of the out of control and dangerously fleeing driver. Because of the extreme dangerous driving, CHP officers followed from a safe distance, allowing the Riverside County aviation crew to follow the vehicle from above.

The suspect then exited Barton Road in Grand Terrace where he unexpectedly pulled into an AMPM convenience store at the southwest corner of Barton Road and Michigan Street. Because there were no patrol vehicle directly behind him, the man had just enough time to run into the AMPM store, where he reportedly grabbed a drink and ran back to his vehicle, just as CHP officers were pulling in behind him.

The man then took off again, heading back towards the freeway where he once again got onto the northbound I-215 freeway from Barton Road with CHP officers right behind him.

The man then fled eastbound on the I-10 freeway.

The suspect eventually left the freeway, where sheriff’s deputies once again assumed the pursuit. While off the freeway, the suspect stopped several times where deputies attempted to make several felony stops on the vehicle. However, each time the suspect stopped, he refused to follow deputies’ commands to exit his vehicle.

The suspect then got back onto the eastbound I-10 freeway where he picked up his speed in excess of 90 miles per hour. During that time no patrol vehicles attempted to pursue or stop the suspect while Riverside County’s aviation crew continued tracking his progress eastbound to Highway 111, north of Palm Springs.

The suspect continued southeast on Highway 111 into and through Palm Desert, where deputies once again picked up the pursuit.

Deputies eventually were able to successfully deploy spike strips and flatten all four of the suspect’s tires. However, the suspect continued leading the officers on a slow speed pursuit, sometimes stopping and other times continuing as slow as two to three miles per hour.

In spite of having all four tires flattened by the spike strips the suspect still refused to yield and continued southbound on Washington Street running through stop signs and stop lights and driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.

The slow speed pursuit continued to wind its’ way first westbound and then eastbound through La Quinta before his vehicle was finally stopped at a roundabout at Avenue 52 and Jefferson in La Quinta.

Once the vehicle was stopped two Riverside County Sheriff’s Bearcat armored rescue vehicles moved in, where witnesses at the scene reported hearing shots fired.

It was not immediately known what led to the shooting incident at the roundabout.

Residents in the area said they heard sheriff’s deputies giving loud verbal commands to the suspect both before and after the shooting incident.

Paramedics and other emergency personnel responded to the scene to render aid to the suspect. However, the man was reportedly pronounced dead at the scene.

After the shooting, a command center was set up at an undisclosed location in the area. In the aftermath of the shooting, numerous sheriff’s officials were seen gathered around the vehicle at the roundabout at Avenue 52 and Jefferson Street.

A large perimeter was cordoned off around the area while sheriff’s officials and investigators from the sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit conducted an investigation.

 

This is a developing story. More information will be updated as it becomes available.

 

 

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