Dennis RomeroIn Southern California, we have all kinds of pursuits. Cops chased a tank in San Diego once. We're sure you remember that white Ford Bronco. Heck, there was even once a state legislator who allegedly tried to evade the long arm of the law.
But this one's a first for us, especially given that we live in an urban region of more than 18 million people.
A man on a stolen tractor led Riverside County Sheriff's Department deputies on a chase in Lake Elsinore yesterday, cops say:
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Credit: German Avalos via the Riverside County Sheriff's Department
He made a good go of it. Allegedly.
Authorities said they spotted the suspect at midnight. The problem was he was operating a Caterpillar Skid Steer loader on highway 74 and Dexter Avenue in the dark, with no lights on, the sheriff's department stated:
The tractor did not have any lights and was a danger to other vehicular traffic.
Attempts to stop the Caterpillar were fruitless, cops said, and the vehicle headed east on 74 before going through a field near Conrad Avenue and then getting back on the highway. Then, deputies allege:
The tractor drove through three fences in an attempt to evade the Sheriff's helicopter overhead. The driver, German Avalos, a 25-year-old resident of Perris, abandoned the tractor and was arrested a short time later.
Avalos was booked on suspicion of vehicle theft and evading police.
Cue banjo music.
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