SPPD K-9 Rex “grabbed one of the subjects, and I got the one running the other way.” The vehicle’s driver, Rodolfo Diaz, 23, and passenger Mario Hernandez, 24, both of Santa Paula were arrested. Diaz received minor injuries resulting from his pursuit by Rex, and Hernandez sustained minor injuries as the result of the crash.Diaz had an existing warrant for his arrest, and Smith said “Hernandez is on probation for fleeing from an officer in a vehicle, a stolen car... we were able to tie them to several burglaries that occurred in Santa Clarita the night before,” as well as to a stolen vehicle taken January 18 from the 100 block of East Ventura Street. Diaz and Hernandez were booked on suspicion of various charges and transported to Ventura County Jail.The unusual pursuit, said Smith, was just one facet of SPPD Monday activity. Among other incidents, “We had the Vons armed robbery, a parolee that ran from us, three men trying to break into a house, and the vehicle pursuit and accident... it was a pretty busy day.”
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The January 19 incident occurred at about 1:22 p.m., when the “California Highway Patrol got a Low-Jack stolen vehicle hit” on a Toyota Avalon traveling westbound on Highway 126, just east of city limits. The vehicle had been reported stolen from Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County. Rodolfo Diaz, 23, and passenger Mario Hernandez, 24, both of Santa Paula were arrested. (Photo by Don Johnson) |
Highway 126 pursuit ends with accident, arrests of two SP men
January 23, 2009
Santa Paula Police Department
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula TimesA Highway 126 pursuit of the driver of a stolen car turned into an unusual accident that ended with the arrest of two area men on Monday, according to a Santa Paula Police spokesman. The suspects have also been tied to other crimes.Sergeant Ryan Smith said the January 19 incident occurred at about 1:22 p.m., when the “California Highway Patrol got a Low-Jack stolen vehicle hit” on a Toyota Avalon traveling westbound on Highway 126, just east of city limits. The vehicle had been reported stolen from Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County.“As the CHP officer tried to stop the car the driver failed to pull over, which confirmed that the vehicle was stolen” and prompted the high speed pursuit. The vehicle exited the highway at Palm Avenue at such a high rate of speed that Smith said the Toyota “slid all the way back up the onramp... he failed to stop, and when he left the highway it’s lucky he didn’t hit anybody; it probably would have ended in a fatal accident.”But after sliding up the onramp the vehicle was still on the move as it went over the side of the embankment, falling about 50 feet before coming to rest with one side against the wall. At that point Smith, who was traveling southbound on Palm Avenue, drove up and saw the vehicle drop and then two subjects get out and start to flee on foot.
