Vehicle was Reported Stolen out of King City
WATSONVILLE— Police arrested a 15-year-old juvenile from Watsonville after he led them on a high-speed pursuit through the streets of Watsonville,
On the first of the year, Officer Bryan Rodriguez of the Watsonville Police Department was on routine patrol when he noticed a red 1995 Ford Aerostar van parked at Motel 6 that had been reported stolen out of King City, a town about 65 miles south.
As Officer Rodriguez was confirming the information, he noticed two Hispanic males exit the Motel on Silverleaf Drive and get into the van. As the vehicle pulled out of the parking lot of the Motel, Officer Rodriguez pulled in behind the vehicle. The van then entered US. Highway 1 heading southbound when Officer Rodriguez initiated a traffic stop. The 15-year-old juvenile driver looked back at the Officer, and then accelerated the vehicle to 90 mph.
Yovani Fernandez Zamora was the passenger while his 15-year-old companion tried to evade police.
Officer Rodriguez was in pursuit of the vehicle when it exited the Highway on to Riverside Drive. The van then entered a residential neighborhood and led Officer Rodriguez down several residential streets before coming to a stop on Quinta Vista Street. Both the 15-year-old juvenile and 27-year-old Watsonville resident Yovani Fernandez Zamora exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Officer Rodriguez quickly apprehended the juvenile. He also radioed in the location and direction of travel of Zamora, who was apprehended by officers that were responding to the call as backup.
“Officer Rodriguez is a diligent officer, who when on duty specializes in finding stolen cars.” Sergeant Saul Gonzalez of the Watsonville Police Department said, “As far as Zamora is concerned, he does have a criminal history with department. The juvenile did not have a license at the time of his arrest.”
Zamora was charged with vehicle theft, resisting arrest and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. His bail has been set at 10,000.00 dollars. The juvenile was charged with vehicle theft, resisting arrest, failure to yield to a peace officer, possession of burglary tools and participating in a criminal street gang.
The Watsonville Police Department is still investigating this incident and is asking that anyone with information to please contact the Watsonville Police Crime Tip line at 831-728-3544, or the Investigation Unit at 1-831-768-3352.
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