Four apprehended after Hemet pursuit

HEMET, Calif. — Four people who led Hemet police officers on a short pursuit before fleeing on foot from the SUV they were in were apprehended after the vehicle pursuit and foot chase early Friday morning, July 3.

The pursuit, which began in the area of Florida and Palm avenues, ended about a mile and a half later, in the area of E. Central Ave., between S. State and S. Harvard streets.

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Friday morning’s incident began shortly before 12:30 a.m., after Hemet police officers attempted to conduct a traffic enforcement stop on a white Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 in the area of Palm and Florida avenues.

Despite the officers’ lights and sirens, the driver refused to yield and sped away from officials, who initiated a vehicle pursuit.

Officials apprehended four people after a vehicle pursuit and foot chase in Hemet early Friday morning. Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incidents photo

Although officials have not released any information regarding the incident, radio traffic at the time indicated officers chased the Mercedes south on Palm Ave. then east on Mayberry St.

As the pursuit continued and officers converged on the area, the driver of the SUV nearly collided with a Hemet PD patrol car occupied by a K-9 handler and his service dog.

Although officers briefly lost sight of the vehicle due to the driver’s erratic and reckless driving actions, they soon spotted the vehicle stopped on E. Central Ave., where the driver and three other people had already fled from the car on foot.

The two female passengers were quickly detained near the vehicle on E. Central Ave., but the male driver and a male passenger split up, with one running northbound on Harvard St. and the other fleeing south. 

Despite fleeing and hiding from officers, both men were soon located and apprehended.

The driver, who was found hiding between cars parked inside a fenced yard, was heard telling officers he fled because he was being chased by officers.

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All four subjects were later transported to the Hemet Police Station, but it was not immediately known if any were arrested or what charges they might be facing.

No officers or citizens were injured during the short pursuit or suspects’ apprehensions.


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Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incidents photos above

Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photos above

Will Whelan/Hemet Valley Incidents video


Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents video above


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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.