MORENO VALLEY: Victims wrestle car thief from their vehicle, hold him for deputies

MORENO VALLEY – A family and other citizens wrestled an alleged car thief from their vehicle and held him until deputies arrived and took the man into custody Nov. 24. The attempted vehicle theft happened in the 12000 block of Foxdale Drive in Moreno Valley.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police Station were dispatched to the location after a 911 caller reported an attempted vehicle theft that was in progress at a residence about 8:10 a.m., according to Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Brandi Swan.

Deputies arrived within minutes and found a group of family members and other citizens holding down a man who had allegedly attempted to steal the family’s vehicle, Swan explained.

The man was still resisting citizen’s attempts to detain him and he continued to resist after deputies arrived; however, deputies successfully detained the alleged suspect, Swan wrote in a press release about the incident and arrest.

Deputies identified the man as Jelani Saeed Williams, an 18-year-old resident of Perris.

Once Williams was detained, deputies conducted an investigation into the reported incident.

“The victim had started his vehicle in his driveway and was loading his attached trailer for an upcoming Thanksgiving weekend celebration,” Swan explained. “The victim watched as the suspect ran down the street and quickly jumped inside his vehicle.”

Once Williams was inside the vehicle he was able to shift the vehicle out of park and tried to drive away, according to Swan.

When the victim saw Williams in the process of stealing his vehicle and trailer, he and other family members regained control of the vehicle and dragged Williams from the driver’s seat. They then wrestled him to the ground and held him on the ground until deputies arrived.

Based on the victim and witness statements, deputies arrested Williams. He was booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of vehicle theft, resisting a public officer, and violation of probation.

A jail record search revealed Williams was being held on $10,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice Nov. 30.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident or who witnessed the attempted vehicle theft is encouraged to contact Deputy Nicolas Ramirez at (951) 486-6700. Callers can refer to incident file number MV163290081 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit anonymous information using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.