MECCA – A suspect who escaped arrest led police in a vehicle pursuit and barricaded himself in friend’s home only to eventually be arrested.
Cesar Vela, 30 of Palm Springs was detained on July 16, 2014 at approximately 4:30 A.M. by officers from the Palm Desert Police Department. He was detained on the 47000 block of Golden Bush Court, Palm Desert for driving a stolen motorcycle and being a felon in possession of a handgun.
Before being secured and transported, Vela was able to escape. He ran from the scene and managed to evade the police. Authorities remained on the lookout for him, but were unable to immediately locate the suspect. It was later determined that Vela was also wanted for questioning regarding an assault with a deadly weapon that occurred earlier in the month.
At approximately 12:15 P.M., investigators spotting Vela riding another motorcycle in the same area where he had been detained. According to Lieutenant Jason Huskey, Vela failed to stop and police gave chase. The pursuit ended in the 65300 block of Wolff Street in Mecca where Vela abandoned the motorcycle. The suspect then ran into a friend’s house, where barricaded himself about 90 minutes. At this time, California Highway Patrol officers assisted in the pursuit and securing the scene.
After some time, Vela surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident. There were no injuries during the pursuit or the arrest. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department states that Vela will be booked for driving a stolen vehicle, felon in possession of a firearm, and felony evading of a peace officer.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Palm Desert Police Department at 760-836-1600 or Crime Stoppers at 760-341-STOP (7867).
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