EL CENTRO, Calif. – We are getting our first close look at the events that took place just before two teenagers were arrested in on Friday.
An officer from the El Centro Police Department (ECPD) pulls over a red Honda Civic for a mechanical violation. It seems like a routine traffic stop but as the officer approaches the car, the suspect hits the gas and speeds off, but doesn’t get away that easy, the officer follows close behind the suspect as he speeds through a quiet residential neighborhood.
The suspect then leads police on to city streets and continues on to the freeway. The car merges onto eastbound Interstate 8 with speeds going over 50 miles per hour. Then you can hear the officer giving the driver commands to pull over.
Police noticed there was a woman in the passenger seat. The suspect then merges off the freeway at the Dogwood Road exit near construction and even driving on the wrong side of the road at times. The car speeds off the road then suddenly pulls to the side at Dogwood and Plaza Drive. Officers get out with weapons drawn and continue to give orders to the driver.
The driver exits the car, listening to the officers commands, then is taken into custody along with the passenger. After a search of the car police found an unregistered handgun in the dirt near the car, the suspect admitted to trying to discard it. Also ammunition for the handgun was found inside the car. Both suspects are now in Juvenile Hall facing several felony and misdemeanor charges.