CHP officer and suspect hurt in high-speed pursue – Hi-Desert Starlet: News
CHP officer and suspect hurt in high-speed pursue
78-year-old man makes bomb threat
Jimmy Biggerstaff photo
Crash during pursuit
A California Highway Patrol officer was hurt Monday, Feb. 27, in this collision on Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree. The officer was in pursuit of a suspect evading police at more than one hundred mph before he was forcibly detained in Twentynine Palms.
Posted: Tuesday, February 28, two thousand twelve 12:06 pm
TWENTYNINE PALMS — A California Highway Patrol Officer and a suspect both were hurt in a high-speed pursuit that led from Yucca Valley through Joshua Tree to Twentynine Palms Monday, Feb. 27.
The pursuit ended after sheriff’s deputies deployed a spike disrobe to stop the fleeing vehicle, a one thousand nine hundred ninety nine Dodge van, on Two Mile Road and Lupine.
The suspect, 78-year-old Armand Nettles, of Desert Hot Springs, suffered two cracked arms while being taken into custody on a charge of felony evading causing injury.
He was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he was booked.
CHP Officer Eric Brewer reported he was returning to the Morongo Basin from Indio in his patrol unit when he eyed Nettles driving erratically on Twentynine Palms Highway in Yucca Valley.
Nettles was driving in opposing lanes and going at one hundred miles per hour when Brewer began pursuing him on the highway just west of Sage about four p.m., the officer said.
The pursuit continued east through Joshua Tree, with the suspect running crimson lights and driving in the center lane and in westbound lanes, Brewer said.
Officer Robert Flocken joined the pursuit near Sunburst Avenue and was attempting to catch up with Brewer when a two thousand six motorhome towing a vehicle pulled out onto the highway from a private driveway in front of Flocken’s car.
Flocken hit the motorhome, severely bruising his patrol unit. The officer was taken to Hi-Desert Medical Center with a complaint of ache and fairly a bit of blood and bruising, Brewer reported.
He was treated and released. “He is back home,” Brewer said Tuesday, Feb. 28.
With Brewer abandoning the pursuit to help the injured officer, CHP Sgt. Bill Green picked up the pursue, which continued east on the highway to Lear Avenue, where the suspect turned north, and then to Two Mile Road, where the suspect turned east.
Deputies deployed a spike unwrap at Two Mile and Lupine, deflating three of Nettles’ four tires. The van continued for another half mile before stopping at Two Mile and Alpine.
Primarily, Brewer said, Nettles refused directives to step out of his van. A few minutes later, he complied but screamed that he had a bomb in his vehicle.
CHP officers then closed a section of Two Mile Road and called a bomb squad to search the vehicle. They discovered there was no bomb.
Nettles was treated at Hi-Desert Medical Center for two violated arms before being taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.
“He curled up in a fetal position and would not release his arms,” Brewer said of Nettles’ injuries. “My understanding was there wasn’t a entire lot of sense coming out of his mouth.”