According to the Riverside County Sheriff Officer Sgt. Wenndy Brito-Gonzalez, deputies attempted pull over Jonathan Rodriguez at 3:13 a.m. on Saturday morning for a vehicle code violation when he failed to yield and took off from the area of Camino Idilio and Palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs.
With Deputies in pursuit the chase went through the city and onto Interstate 10 westbound from Date Palm Drive. Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies followed the suspect eastbound onto Highway 62, crossing over into San Bernardino County and the Town of Yucca Valley. The suspect then turned onto Airway Ave. and onto Yucca Trail, where the San Bernardino County Sheriff Department assumed the chase.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies continued the pursuit east on Yucca Trail, leaving the city limits and crossing over into San Bernardino County and the unincorporated community of Joshua Tree. It continued approximately another 2.5 miles before the suspect turn south into the Friendly Hills neighborhood and abandoned his vehicle on Mountain View Trail.
The neighborhood shares the northern border of Joshua Tree National Park, and the neighborhood is approximately 5 miles from the park’s busy west entrance. The neighborhood is also close to the Nancy Karl trail, which is open desert land currently owned and maintained by the Mojave Desert Land Trust.
An approximate map of pursuit can be seen here, but exact turns or routes for the pursuit were not provided by law enforcement and this map should not be used as a complete record of the pursuit:
Rodriguez continued to evade law enforcement in the varied terrain of the desert neighborhood, with reports from neighbors that someone matching the suspect’s description could be seen hopping fences further west of where he abandoned his vehicle.
County search helicopters and an airplane could be seen circling different areas of the neighborhood, as well as closer to downtown Joshua Tree and the land between Alta Loma Dr. and Highway 62.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended the suspect around 2:30 p.m. in the 60000 block of Pueblo Trail.
Jonathan Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and is being held without bail.
Previously Reported:
