HEMET: Short pursuit ends with one in custody for DUI

HEMET – A man was arrested for DUI and evading police after he led police on an early-morning pursuit Sunday, May 14. The chase, which began as a dangerous high-speed pursuit, quickly turned into a slow-rolling chase that continued traveling at about 1 mph. The short incident lasted less than five minutes and all officers had cleared the scene about twenty minutes after the pursuit began.

Officers later determined the driver, who had permission from the registered owner to be driving the car, was driving while under the influence. He was booked into jail on suspicion of DUI-related charges, as well as evading and other possible charges.

The incident began in the area of Devonshire Avenue moments before 2 a.m., when a Hemet police officer spotted a vehicle taking off from the area at a high rate of speed.

The officer quickly caught up with the fleeing vehicle, which was described as a 1995 Honda Civic. In spite of the officer’s overhead lights and siren, the driver, who officials have not yet named, refused to stop and accelerated away from the pursuing officer.

When the driver failed to yield and ran a stop sign, the officer initiated a vehicle pursuit. “King-2” the department’s newest K-9 handler and several other officers quickly joined the pursuit as it continued westbound on Devonshire Avenue.

As the vehicle continued fleeing, officers determined the vehicle was registered to an owner on Devonshire Avenue and it appeared the driver was trying to get home. Officers immediately began to head to a point ahead of the driver so they could intercept him.

Just one minute into what started as a high speed pursuit, officers updated that the chase had dropped to just one mph; however, the driver still continued on without stopping.

The slow-rolling chase came to an end when the driver stopped at a residence on the 2700 block of W. Devonshire Avenue between N. Sanderson Avenue and Kirby Street.

As Riverside County Sheriff’s aviation unit circled overhead in the department’s helicopter, “Star-9,” officers on the ground conducted a felony stop and had the suspect in custody at 2:03 a.m., just four minutes after the pursuit began.

There were no reported injuries related to the pursuit or subsequent arrest and the car was later returned to the registered owner.

All officers and officials had cleared the scene of the stop just after 2:15 a.m.

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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.