Man arrested after dangerous Hemet vehicle, foot pursuit

HEMET — Details are beginning to emerge after a Hemet man led Hemet police officers on a dangerous, high-speed pursuit yesterday afternoon, Thursday, Dec. 6. The chase wound its way through residential neighborhoods and along city streets, where the fleeing man crashed multiple times before he was apprehended after attempting to flee on foot from, and then fighting with, pursuing officers.

Hemet PD has not yet released any information regarding the incident and arrest, and it was not immediately known if all of the ten felony charges the alleged suspect was booked on were related to yesterday’s incident and arrest or if he had active warrants from previous incidents. An unidentified woman was also apprehended at the end of the chase; however, it was not known if she faced any charges related to the incident.

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After an investigation, officers arrested Kile Dennis Kennedy, 38. He was later booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of ten felonies, including assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, false imprisonment, two counts of recklessly evading police, attempted carjacking, resisting arrest, possession of a dirk or dagger, first degree burglary, possession of stolen property, and violation of parole. Online jail records indicate he remains in custody without bail and is scheduled to be seen at an unspecified court Dec. 10.

Yesterday afternoon’s incident began shortly after 1:30 p.m., when Hemet police tried to conduct a traffic stop on a green Dodge Caravan in the area of Meridian St. The driver of the van, later identified as Kennedy, refused to yield and a chase ensued.

While being pursued, Kennedy drove in an extremely reckless manner, without regard for the safety of other citizens or pursuing officers, and officials eventually requested assistance from Riverside County sheriff’s deputies and the department’s Aviation Unit, which soon arrived overhead in the department’s “Star-9.”

At one point during the chase as the Dodge approached the intersection of State and Mayberry streets, Kennedy attempted a dangerous maneuver in an attempt to elude pursuing officers, at which time he plowed into a Toyota. The impact sent the SUV careening out of control and over a curb, where its right, rear wheel was sheered off.

With officers still in hot pursuit, other assisting officers managed to get ahead of the chase and set out spike strips at the intersection of W. Mayberry and S. Palm avenues. Kennedy ran over the spike strips, which were successful in deflating several of the Dodge’s tires. Despite his flattened tires, Kennedy continued fleeing, at which time Hemet PD terminated their pursuit, requesting Star-9 to continue following the fleeing man from above.

Although officers were no longer behind him, Kennedy continued recklessly fleeing, racing along a number of Hemet streets, including Mayberry, Lyon, Stetson, Sanderson, Florida, and others.

With Star-9 providing ground officers with constant updates about Kennedy’s driving actions and location, as well as direction of travel, he eventually lost control of the Dodge and hit a curb at the corner of Florida and Palm avenues near Starbucks, where he then fled from the disabled vehicle.

After fleeing from the disabled Caravan, Kennedy ran northbound through traffic across Florida Ave., toward Days Inn. Officers soon caught up with Kennedy, where the fleeing man was possibly trying to carjack a vehicle from another motorist. When officials arrived, Kennedy fought with arresting officers, but was soon overpowered and subdued.

Hemet Fire Department and AMR responded to the scene of Kennedy’s arrest for a bloody head injury the combative man either received in one of the wrecks or while being taken into custody. After being checked out by paramedics, Kennedy was transported to Hemet PD and later to county jail.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

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Timothy Franzese and Gary Rainwater/Public Safety Incidents photos

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year 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 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.