Sheriff: Stolen Vehicle Suspect Rammed Into Patrol Units During Pursuit
STOCKTON (CBS13) — A stolen vehicle suspect is behind bars after leading law enforcement on a pursuit through Stockton early Tuesday morning and damaging multiple patrol units, the sheriff's office said.
According to the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, deputies assigned to the AGNET (Agriculture, Gangs, and Narcotics Enforcement Team) noticed a vehicle with illegal blue lighting under glow in the area of Wilson Way and Highway 4 in Stockton and found out it was reported stolen. Deputies tried to pull over the vehicle but say the driver sped off down the freeway, prompting a pursuit just before 1 a.m.
During the pursuit, deputies said the suspect tried to cause a crash, hitting his brakes multiple times. The suspect then went the wrong way up the Highway 5 off-ramp, crashing into a Sergeant Patrol Unit that was coming off the freeway, officials said.
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He then drove onto the freeway, eventually exiting on Eight Street and turning into a dead-end court when his car was rammed in an effort to disable the vehicle, the sheriff's office said. But the suspect reportedly used his vehicle to ram the back end of another patrol unit and an unoccupied car to escape. He then abandoned the car nearby in the area of Volpi Drive in Stockton.
Stockton police officers located the suspect, 35-year-old Jose De Jesus Almaras, in the area and found methamphetamine on his person during a search. Officials also reportedly found a large amount of methamphetamine in individually wrapped baggies in the suspect vehicle.
Almaras was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on numerous charges including vehicle theft, possessing a stolen vehicle, battery on a peace officer and possession of a controlled substance for sale. His bail is set at $1,130,000.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
