SAN BERNARDINO – Deputies, aided by a helicopter pursuit, tracked down a man that stole a car after assaulting two men last week.
Daniel Martinez, 41, of San Bernardino, appeared in court this week to answer charges for assault with a deadly weapon and for stealing a pickup truck.
Two victims, Mark Balbaneda and Timothy Wayne, were helping their grandmother move furniture out of her house on the 7000 block of Conejo Dr. on Thursday, December 11.
Martinez came along, got into the pickup truck that Balbaneda and Wayne were attempting to move the furniture into and drove off without their permission. He drove the stolen blue Ford pickup through a residential area in an attempt to flee, but the victims followed the stolen truck in another car and called 911 requesting help from the police.
Deputies from the Central Station, a special unit assisting, also calling in the 40King helicopter unit to track down Martinez. The located the stolen truck in a cul-de-sac in the 25000 block of Anson St., about four blocks from where it was stolen. Martinez had crashed the truck through a wrought-iron fence, said police reports, driving through the front yard of a residence and colliding with the outer living room wall. The truck became disabled after the crash.
Balbaneda and Wayne attempted to detain Martinez, but couldn’t after he tried stabbing them with a screw driver. Eventually the deputies made contact with Martinez, taking him into custody. Deputies transported Martinez to nearby Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton where he was checked, due mainly to his violent behavior. He was later booked into the West Valley Detention Center.
Read More:
Highland Community News: GTA suspect taken into custody
