A pursuit of a stolen vehicle on Tuesday that stretched into multiple counties and took a circuitous route through Turlock neighborhoods and downtown ended with a crash when the driver sped the car through the intersection at N. Soderquist Road and W. Canal Drive and hit another vehicle.
Both the suspect and the two people in the other vehicle were transported to area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect’s name and charges had not been released as of Tuesday evening.
The stolen vehicle was out of the Fresno area and was spotted by the Fresno Police Department’s Career Criminal Auto Theft Team. The Team were all in unmarked vehicles and requested assistance from the California Highway Patrol in making a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle, according to the CHP.
The vehicle was spotted by a CHP officer in the Merced area and a traffic stop was initiated.
The driver did pull over briefly but it was only to let out his passenger, said Merced area CHP Capt. Tony Domingo. Then he sped off down Highway 99 headed north.
For a reason only known to the suspect, he got off the highway at the Golden State Boulevard exit and then began an odd route through Turlock. He took turns into Turlock neighborhoods off of Minaret Avenue that doubled back from where he started.
All the while he was driving at speeds from 80 to 95 miles per hour and blowing through the posted stop signs. Turlock Police and CHP were in pursuit at various times and a law enforcement helicopter helped provide the suspect’s location, turn by turn.
He eventually made his way into downtown, speeding through the intersections at Center and Main streets and Center and Olive Avenue.
He got back onto Golden State Boulevard but got off of it again at Canal Drive. He sped through the intersection at Soderquist and Canal, without stopping and struck a Toyota Rav.
The stolen vehicle came to a rest on Canal with debris strewn all along the road, including one tire that came completely off the vehicle.
The suspect tried to continue his escape by running from the car but was quickly apprehended and placed into police custody before being transported to an area hospital to be checked out for a complaint of pain.
The two people in the Toyota were taken by ambulance to an area hospital.
