Charges are expected Friday against a 63-year-old man who is accused in a theft pursuit in which a 15-year-old boy allegedly rammed a Palm Springs police patrol vehicle, injuring two officers.
The man was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, grand theft and vandalism, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. The boy was arrested on suspicion of resisting an officer, evading an officer and assault with a deadly weapon.
Both suspects are Indio residents.
According to inmate records, the man remains jailed at the John J. Benoit Detention Center on $210,000 bail. The boy was booked into Indio Juvenile Hall, according to police.
According to Palm Springs police, members of the agency’s Crime Suppression Team tried to pull over a Toyota Camry near Murray Canyon Drive and South Toledo Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, but the driver sped away and led officers into a high-speed pursuit.
The driver ran several stop signs and drove the wrong way at times, and subsequently turned into a cul-de-sac on Saint Thomas Circle and stopped in a driveway, police said.
According to police, the driver exited from the passenger side of the Camry and ran away, while the boy backed the vehicle up at a high rate of speed and rammed into a police vehicle, injuring two officers who had taken positions behind the open doors of the squad car. The officers wound up pinned between the vehicle’s doors and the door frames, police said.
“Both of their heads shattered each of their windows and the interior of the rear passenger door shows damage from one of the officer’s legs,” according to police.
Both of the injured officers were taken to a hospital and were in stable condition by Wednesday morning, police said.
“Sgt. Nanez returned to work Wednesday, with a smile on his face,” police said. “Our other CST officer was released from the hospital Wednesday night and is thankfully on the road to recovery.”
After the officers were struck, the teen allegedly sped away again, continuing the pursuit until he struck rock landscaping near Farrell Drive and Mesquite Avenue, according to police. After the crash, he reportedly got out of the vehicle and jumped over a wall onto a golf course.
A helicopter crew from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, along with officers from other agencies, helped search for the suspects, who were found a short time later, according to police.
Following the pursuit, investigators allegedly found four stolen catalytic converters and a Sawzall motorized saw inside the Camry.
