A Sheriff’s deputy crashed his car Wednesday enroute to a high-speed chase in Twentynine Palms. Sheriff’s Sergeant Jason Radeleff said about 4:45 Wednesday, a deputy tried to pull over, Tina Maurer, 33, for broken tail lights, she fled northbound on Mesquite Springs Road at a high rate of speed blowing through stop signs. Four other deputies responded to the pursuit, one in Twentynine Palms, and three others driving at a high rate of speed eastbound on the highway. As Deputy Erdem Gorgulu approached Sunfair Road with lights and siren activated, Charles Wright, 26, of Joshua Tree, in the left turn lane onto Sunfair, saw the approaching patrol car and drove across both eastbound lanes of the highway to move over to the right shoulder of the highway, directly into the path of the patrol car. Gorgulu swerved onto the right shoulder to avoid the car, soft dirt sent the patrol car flying to the left, across all four lanes, hitting a berm on the north side, through a narrow opening between a fire hydrant and a telephone pole, before stopping in the open desert. Sergeant Radeleff said Deputy Gorgulu was “lucky” and was not injured in the crash, but the patrol car suffered serious damage. The CHP is investigating the incident. Meanwhile, Tina Maurer crashed her car at the intersection of Mesquite Springs Road and Old Chisholm Trail and was arrested on a $75,000 felony warrant for burglary and felony failure to yield.
