UPDATE: Officials ID Hemet man after pursuit ends in four-vehicle wreck
UPDATED: Thursday, July 2, 12:40 p.m.
See Original Story, Photos and Video below.
HEMET, Calif. — Officials who arrested a probationer yesterday morning after a short Hemet pursuit led to a four-vehicle crash involving a stolen vehicle have identified the man who was apprehended after trying to flee on foot from the multi-vehicle wreck.
City of Hemet police officers began pursuing the man, since identified as Francisco Luciano Diaz, 21, of Hemet, around 11 a.m. after Hemet PD ROCS detectives spotted Diaz in a grey Audi convertible in the area of Gibbel Park, near Kirby St. and Florida Ave., Hemet Police Lt. Eric Dickson has since reported.
“The Audi resembled a vehicle that had been reported stolen … and
the detectives were able to get behind the vehicle and check its license plate through dispatch,” explained Dickson; saying, “The vehicle was confirmed to be stolen.”
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Upon realizing he was being followed by multiple unmarked and marked patrol vehicles, Diaz turned into the Hemet Mall parking lot; before exiting the parking lot onto Gilmore St.
As officials attempted to conduct a felony traffic stop, Diaz fled south on Gilmore St. before turning right and heading westbound on Florida Ave.
As Diaz sped toward traffic that was stopped for a red light at Sanderson Ave., “he attempted to pass between two vehicles that were also driving west on Florida Ave. in front of him,” explained Dickson.
Hemet police officers arrested 21-year-old, Hemet resident, Francisco Diaz, after he led them on a short pursuit that ended when he caused a four-vehicle, chain-reaction crash. HPD photo
“The stolen Audi was unable to fit between the vehicles and collided into one of them, in a broadside collision,” Dickson continued. “After the first collision, (Diaz) struck a second vehicle, and that vehicle collided into a third vehicle in a rear end collision.”
After the chain-reaction collision, Diaz fled from the disabled Audi, running southbound on Sanderson Ave.
Officers chased Diaz on foot, ultimately apprehending him in front of Tommy’s Burgers on the 100 block of S. Sanderson Ave.
“There were no visible injuries to any of the occupants of the affected vehicles,” said Erickson; who said one of the involved drivers was transported to Hemet Valley Hospital as a precaution.
Diaz was also transported to a local hospital for a pre-booking medical clearance.
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After his arrest, Diaz was booked into Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of felony evasion, possession of a stolen vehicle, obstructing a police officer, driving under the influence of drugs, and violation of probation.
Online jail records indicate Diaz remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail or bond and he is scheduled to be arraigned at an unspecified court July 6.
Original Story: Hemet pursuit end in four-vehicle wreck
HEMET, Calif. — Authorities are investigating after a man in a stolen vehicle led officers on a short pursuit that ended when the alleged car thief crashed into three other vehicles Wednesday morning, July 1.
Even though the alleged suspect fled on foot from the scene of the multi-vehicle crash, he was apprehended by officers a short time later.
This morning’s pursuit that led to the crash happened around 11:16 a.m., after officers spotted a stolen, dark grey Audi convertible being driven on Kirby St., according to official radio traffic at the time.
Officers began following the stolen Audi while waiting for additional officers to arrive in the area so they could conduct a felony stop.
As the officers continued following the stolen Audi and backup officers converged on the area, the driver turned into the Hemet Valley Mall parking lot.
Officers arrested a man that fled from them in a stolen Audi convertible this morning. He was apprehended after fleeing the scene of a four vehicle wreck he caused while fleeing from officers. Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photo
Upon seeing the arrival of additional officers, the suspect sped off through the mall parking lot. Despite the officers’ lights and sirens, the driver fled at high-speed out of the parking lot, turning west on Florida.
With officers in pursuit, the stolen Audi driver continued westbound on Florida Ave. for about one block, where he smashed into three vehicles at the intersection of Florida and N. Sanderson avenues just moments later.
The three vehicles the alleged suspect plowed into were later described as a black Honda Civic, black Toyota, and white Dodge Dakota. All three sustained minor to moderate damage, while the stolen Audi was heavily damaged in the collision.
After plowing into the three vehicles, the driver of the stolen car fled from the scene on foot in an attempt to avoid apprehension.
While some officers began checking for injuries at the scene of the crash, other officers who witnessed the collision and foot-bail chased after the hit and run car thief. After chasing the man south on Sanderson Ave., pursuing officers apprehended him in front of Tommy’s Burgers, southeast of the intersection where the collision occurred.
Hemet Fire personnel and AMR medics were requested to the scene to check all those involved for injures; however, official radio traffic indicated that no serious injuries were reported as a result of the pursuit, collisions, or suspect’s apprehension.
The driver who fled from the stolen Audi was arrested at the scene and subsequently transported to an area hospital to receive a medical clearance prior to being booked into jail.
Contacted for more information regarding this incident, Hemet Police Sgt. Hall advised the suspect’s name was not yet available, as the man was still at the hospital undergoing the pre-booking process and had not yet been booked.
Sgt. Hall also advised a press release would be published as soon as the officers’ preliminary on-scene investigation was concluded and the alleged suspect was booked into jail.
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.
Click any image to open full-size gallery.
Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photos above/video below
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Contact the writer: [email protected]
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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