Two men have been arrested after they were allegedly involved in a high-speed chase with police in Ontario, The Sun of San Bernardino reports.
High-speed chases have been made popular by California criminals, with the most popular chase likely belonging to O.J. Simpson. But a warning to those who may consider fleeing from police at high rates of speed — not only are these dangerous, but police usually catch the suspects and they end up facing a host of additional charges.
For someone who faces a charge of assault in Santa Ana or burglary in Ontario, it’s understandable that seeing a police officer in your rear view mirror can be terrifying.
But fleeing at high rates of speeds can result in injury to you, injury to other drivers or pedestrians or possibly death, if driving on a crowded highway or busy side streets. This can multiply the charges a person faces because police will go from curious to furious and put up as many counts against the driver as possible.
In any scenario, charges require the skills and experience of an Ontario criminal defense lawyer who will be able to look at all the evidence and create a strong defense strategy for the client. Not every charge is what it looks like and every criminal defendant deserves the right to a fair trial.
According to The Sun, a 31-year-old man and his 22-year-old passenger were arrested recently after one of these chases. Officers arrived on West D Street around midnight one recent day after receiving a call of people loitering in the area.
When officers pulled up, they saw a vehicle driving away. When cruisers attempted to pull over the vehicle, it sped off, police said.
The 31-year-old driver alleged drove at high speeds, on the wrong side of the road at times and tried to ram a police car during the chase. Officers bumped back, using a patrol car to bump the man’s vehicle, causing it to stop on West Locust Street.
The driver ran off, but was apprehended by police. The man allegedly dropped a gun during the chase. His passenger was held on a warrant for burglary, but he doesn’t face charges related to the chase.
The driver, though, now faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon, felony evading and resisting arrest.
And the whole thing started over a call for loitering in the area. Had police pulled the vehicle over and they talked things over, no charges may have been filed. Of course, they could have run the passenger’s name and found he had a warrant, but otherwise, it’s possible no one would have gone to jail.
Now, the driver faces many years in prison if convicted of the charges because of his decision to allegedly speed off rather than being pulled over and talking with police. This snap judgment can cost drivers in the long run. And it usually only comes down to a split-second decision.