EL CENTRO — A carjacking in Calexico ended with a high-speed vehicle pursuit and a foot pursuit in El Centro and a multi-agency effort to bring the suspect to justice on Tuesday morning, June 8.
A Calexico man, later identified as 27-year-old Jesus Diaz, was arrested on suspicion of felony carjacking, felony evading, and resisting arrest, according to a press release from the arresting agency, the El Centro Police Department.
Shortly after 9 a.m. June 8, agents from the Imperial County Narcotic Task Force spotted a stolen vehicle that El Centro police were actively looking for in the 2000 block of South Fourth Street, a red 1999 Isuzu Rodeo taken during the Calexico carjacking.
El Centro police responded to the area in an attempt to recover the vehicle, but while responding, NTF advised police that the suspect entered the vehicle and took off driving west on Smoketree Drive from Fourth Street.
The suspect apparently noticed he was being followed and fled at a high rate of speed, the release stated, and the pursuit lasted about a mile and half at speeds over 50 mph.
“Diaz drove in a reckless manner. The vehicle came to a stop near Second Street and Smoketree, where Diaz fled from the vehicle on foot,” according to police.
The suspect was seen running into a business in the 200 block of East Mineo Road, a small east-west road that runs parallel with Interstate 8 on the north side of the freeway.
“Officers established a perimeter in the area,” the release states, and “resources from allied agencies responded to assist.”
The suspect was apprehended as he attempted to leave the property on Mineo.
At one point during the incident, radio scanner traffic reported that the suspect was armed and that both a canine and drone were to be employed in his apprehension, although it was not immediately available whether any of those resources were deployed, or whether Diaz was armed.
El Centro police thanked assisting agencies NTF, California Highway Patrol, and the Imperial County Sheriff’s Department.
