Burglary-related pursuit ends with crash, carjacking in MV – 2 arrested
MORENO VALLEY — Two men wanted in connection with a recent Claremont burglary were arrested earlier today, Oct. 15, after leading Moreno Valley PD officers on a pursuit from city streets to the westbound 60 Freeway heading toward Riverside.
The pursuit ended when the alleged suspects crashed into several cars on the freeway and successfully carjacked a truck after failing to carjack three other vehicles. According to witnesses, one of the vehicles the suspects attempted to carjack was a tractor-trailer semi-truck driven by a man who reportedly pulled out a knife and fought off the suspects. The two men were eventually apprehended on Martin Luther King Blvd.
LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
Lake Elsinore teen ID’d after fatal crash into telephone pole
Man’s lifeless body found on bench at Eastvale Gateway South
BREAKING: Officials at scene of Hemet stabbing, search for 2 men ongoing
After they were captured the alleged suspects, later identified as 24-year-old, Joshua Jerry, of Los Angeles, and 21-year-old, Solomon Stith, of Compton, were arrested for burglary, hit-and-run, and carjacking, Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. J. Harding explained after the arrests.
Deputies from the Moreno Valley Police Station were assisting the Los Angeles Interagency Metropolitan Police Apprehension Crime Task Force (LA IMPACT) in locating Jerry and Stith who were believed to be driving a white BMW and were possibly traveling in the city of Moreno Valley.
At about 11 a.m., deputies spotted the two men in the BMW in the area of Heritage and Sheffield drives, south of Ironwood Ave., at which time the suspects fled the area at high-speed. Deputies pursued the fleeing BMW first along city streets and then onto the westbound 60.
During the chase, the fleeing suspects drove without regard for the safety of other motorists or pursuing officials and their erratic and dangerous driving eventually caused them to lose control and crash into several over vehicles. The collision disabled the BMW, causing the two occupants to flee on foot from the vehicle.
After abandoning the wrecked BMW, Jerry and Stith attempted to carjack three separate occupied vehicles without success, Harding explained. The suspects then jumped into the back of an occupied truck and forced the driver to take them to the next exit. The terrified driver of the truck followed the suspect’s orders, exiting SR-60 at Martin Luther King Blvd., in the city of Riverside.
Moreno Valley PD’s Special Enforcement Team eventually located and contacted Jerry and Stith on MLK, about five and a half miles from where the pursuit began and officers apprehended the men without further incident, according to Harding.
Two adults, who were injured as a result of the traffic collision that brought the chase to an end, were later transported to an area hospital with unspecified, but “non-life-threatening injuries,” said Harding.
Moreno Valley Police Cpt. David Kurylowicz later praised the efforts of his patrol deputies, SET members, and Robbery and Burglary Suppression Team, telling RCNS, “The officers involved in this arrest are amazing and I just can’t say enough about them.”
“They worked tirelessly, followed the leads, and captured the bad guys,” the captain explained. “I really am privileged to get to work with these fine officers.“
Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact Master Investigator IV Albarran with the Moreno Valley Police Department’s Robbery and Burglary Suppression Team at (951) 486-6700. Callers can refer to incident file number MV182880152 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit an anonymous tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta 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. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s 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.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.