RIVERSIDE: Moreno Valley man arrested after tossing stolen assault rifle during stolen car pursuit

RIVERSIDE – A Moreno Valley resident was arrested after leading police on a dangerous vehicle pursuit along city streets and a local freeway Thursday, April 13. During the pursuit, the fleeing man allegedly tossed a stolen assault rifle out of his stolen car. Officers later located and recovered the discarded weapon.

After the vehicle pursuit and a subsequent foot pursuit, officers arrested Misael Angel Corral, 39, of Moreno Valley.

He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for possession of a stolen car, being a felon in possession of a weapon, being a felon in possession of an assault rifle, being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon on possession of ammunition, recklessly evading police and probation violations.

The incident began about 8:20 p.m., when an officer spotted a suspicious vehicle in the area of 14th Street and Park Avenue.

The driver of the vehicle saw the officer approaching and immediately accelerated away at a high rate of speed, “(committing) many vehicle code violations as the officer attempted to catch up,” Riverside police officials explained in a social media press release.

As the officer caught up with the fleeing vehicle, he conducted a records check on the vehicle’s license plate and determined the plate did not belong to the vehicle it was attached to.

The officer initiated a vehicle pursuit; however the driver, later identified as Corral, refused to yield to the officer’s lights and siren and continued fleeing along city streets.

While the man was fleeing from officers, he drove in an extremely reckless manner, without regard for the safety of other citizens or pursuing officers.

The driver then fled onto the eastbound 91 Freeway.

While on the freeway, officers saw Corral throw a bag out of his vehicle, at which time he collided with the center divider of the freeway. In spite of the collision, Corral continued fleeing from pursuing officers.

As the pursuit continued, assisting officers went to the location where Corral was seen throwing the bag out of his car. After finding the discarded bag, officers discovered it contained an assault rifle. Officers later determined the assault rifle had been reported as stolen.

Corral eventually exited Columbia Avenue and drove onto the railroad tracks at 3rd Street, where he fled from officers on foot.

With offices hot on his heels, Corral jumped onto a stopped train, ran through the rail car and then jumped off of it, where “he was safely taken into custody,” officials explained.

Corral was taken to a local hospital for a medical clearance required for booking due to an injury he sustained when he jumped off the stopped train while fleeing from pursuing officers.

During their investigation, officers determined the vehicle Corral had been fleeing in had been reported as stolen.

An online jail records search revealed Corral is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Riverside Hall Of Justice April 18.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor 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 and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.