RIVERSIDE: Robbery suspect arrested after pursuit, crash

RIVERSIDE — A person who led officers on a short pursuit after allegedly robbing a gas station was arrested after crashing through a street sign and skidding to a stop in the front yard of a home, early Tuesday morning, Jan. 23.

Riverside Police Department responded to a 76 Gas Station on the 3400 block of Central Avenue near the Riverside Plaza shortly before 1 a.m., after receiving reports of a robbery that had just occurred at the location.

Official radio traffic at the time indicated the alleged suspect, who was possibly a juvenile and has not been publicly identified, was described as a male wearing blue shorts and a black, hooded sweatshirt.

After robbing the gas station of an unknown amount of cash, the male fled in a burgundy sedan west on Central Avenue towards the Riverside Plaza.

It was unclear if there were any customers inside the gas station at the time of the robbery, but there were no reported injuries related to the robbery.

Riverside PD’s Air Support Unit in “Air-1” were over the area within moments and assisted ground officers and a K-9 officer in quickly locating a vehicle leaving the area that matched the robbery suspect’s car.

When officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop the driver refused to yield and led officers on a brief pursuit that traveled about one and a half miles north of where the robbery occurred.

As the alleged suspect passed Brockton Avenue while fleeing southbound on Bandini Avenue the vehicle appeared to begin losing control. The car then jumped a curb, plowed through a street sign and slid to a stop in the front yard of a home on the 4000 block of Bandini Avenue.

Despite his continued resistance, officers managed to take the person into custody. City of Riverside Fire Department and AMR responded to the scene to treat the alleged suspect, who sustained minor injuries in the collision and while being apprehended.

The still-struggling suspect was eventually transported to an area hospital to be medically cleared for booking.

An online jail record search yielded no information about any adults booked in relation to the robbery, pursuit and arrest. The suspect, who appeared to be a juvenile, may have been booked into juvenile hall.

It was not known if officers recovered the cash taken during the robbery.

Other than the alleged suspect, there were no injuries related to the incident.

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as 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, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries 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.