Pair nabbed after dangerous, high-speed Hemet pursuit
HEMET, Calif. — Although a high-speed pursuit in Hemet was discontinued for public safety reasons, two people were later apprehended after ditching the rental car they had fled from officers in Saturday evening, May 9.
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City of Hemet police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a silver Mitsubishi Eclipse hatchback around 7 p.m., after observing the driver fail to stop for a posted stop sign on Chambers St., according to official radio traffic at the time.
When officers activated their overhead lights and sirens, the driver refused to yield and sped away from officials; at which time officers initiated a pursuit.
Officers search a rental vehicle after a dangerous, high-speed pursuit that was terminated for safety reasons. Citizen reports later led to the apprehension of two people. Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photo
With officers in pursuit, the driver fled through a number of neighborhoods at high-speed. Based on the circumstances, officials requested assistance from Riverside County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit and Star-9 was launched to the area.
As the chase continued for the next several minutes, officers reported that the driver was fleeing in an extremely reckless manner without regard for the safety of pursing officers or other citizens.
According to radio traffic during the chase, the suspect was seen running all stop lights and posted stop signs and driving on wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic. Officers and area residents who witnessed the chase also reported the driver was fleeing at speeds well in excess of 90 to 100 mph.
Based on the driver’s dangerous and reckless driving actions and the pursuit’s high speeds, a supervisor terminated the chase but requested Star-9 to continue searching for the suspect’s vehicle.
As Star-9 circled overhead searching for the suspect’s vehicle, Hemet PD received several calls from citizens reporting suspicious activity in a residential neighborhood southwest of W. Menlo and N. Sanderson avenues.
Residents of that neighborhood, including some of whom were listening to official radio traffic and following live social media feeds regarding the pursuit, told emergency dispatchers that two people had ditched a silver hatchback on Copenhagen St.
Another 911 caller who had been aware of the pursuit reported the two people who exited the vehicle were seen jumping fences and running on Boston St.
A third caller reported the suspects had jumped over her fence and ran through her London St. property.
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Palm Desert sex offender stabbed two before throwing young daughter off cliff, say officials
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Based on the new information patrol officers, along with Star-9, responded to the area and began searching for the pair seen fleeing from the car, which as later determined to belong to a rental agency.
With help from Star-9 and area residents, officers were soon able to locate and detain a man and woman suspected of having earlier fled from officers.
The pair, who have not yet been publicly identified were detained and later transported to Hemet PD for further investigation.
It was not immediately known if either alleged suspect was arrested or what charges they could be facing and a request sent to Hemet PD for additional details and information regarding the pursuit had not yet been responded to as of this report.
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Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photos
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Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 29 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 16 grandchildren.
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