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A man was recently arrested after allegedly leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit in Fresno County earlier this month.
According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, on the night of June 8th, a deputy attempted to pull over the driver of a red Mercedes who had allegedly been driving at high speeds in the area of Highway 41 and Jensen Avenue in Fresno.
The driver allegedly did not pull over and sped away. After a few minutes, a California Highway Patrol airplane took over the pursuit and continued following the driver, relaying the driver’s movements back to ground patrols.
Authorities say that, throughout the pursuit, the driver ran red lights and passed other vehicles on the shoulder and median at speeds ranging from 90 to 120 miles per hour.
When the driver exited Highway 99 at Belmont Avenue, California Highway Patrol officers and Sheriff’s deputies surrounded the vehicle. At that time, the driver obeyed orders to exit the vehicle.
The Sheriff’s Office identified the driver as Oscar Duarte, 20, of Fresno.
Duarte was taken into custody and booked on suspicion of evading police and reckless driving.
He was later released and issued a date to appear in court, authorities said.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
Any person arrested on suspicion of a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
