Photo: end of the chase
Originally published as a Watsonville Police Department Facebook post –
“Two people, including a 17-year-old girl, are behind bars after plotting an armed carjacking and leading multiple law enforcement agencies on car chases.
The night before, the teen girl convinced the 19-year-old male owner of the black Infiniti to give her a ride and directed him to a parking lot on Penny Lane. It is here where two men pulled a knife on the owner of the black Infiniti and began beating him and attempting to stab him. The two men and the 17-year-old girl then stole his car and left the scene.
Despite being seriously injured, the victim managed to run to a nearby business for help. Watsonville Police initiated Project ROPE (Roadblock Observations Plan of Enforcement), which alerted all county law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the stolen black Infiniti.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputies attempted to stop the car on Highway 1 in Soquel, but the suspects immediately sped off and led them on a high-speed chase into Santa Clara County. Officers from the California Highway Patrol took over the chase but lost sight of the black Infiniti near Palo Alto.
Now fast-forward to Tuesday afternoon, a Detective assigned to the Monterey County Multi-Agency Detail for Combating Auto Theft (MADCAT) was driving through Watsonville when he spotted the stolen black Infiniti. He immediately alerted us.
WPD officers responded and attempted to stop the car on the 1400 block of Freedom Bl. but the driver, the 17-year-old female suspect, led them on another chase. Less than a minute later, she crashed the Infiniti into a parked car on Arthur Rd.
The female teen driver and her passenger, 18-year-old Bryan Alfaro from Soledad, were arrested. Both are facing several felony charges, including carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon. The female teen was unlicensed and also charged with felony evading.
Detectives are currently working to identify the last suspect involved in this case.”
