Man held on suspicion of murder after three county police chase

 Posted on September 09, 2011 in Dealing with the Police

The man reportedly appeared in a Stockton court Wednesday, although prosecutors still had not filed formal charges. Sunday the man was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail and was held without bail on suspicion of a number of crimes, including murder, vehicle theft and evading police in relation to the Saturday night chase.

When police originally tried to detain the man for questioning related to the allegations of burglary, the man reportedly fled on foot. Police say he jumped a fence along Highway 99 and ran through the traffic lanes disrupting traffic. A motorcyclist, with a passenger aboard, grew distracted and reportedly crashed his bike. The passenger was thrown from the motorcycle and sustained severe head injuries. She later died at a Stanislaus County hospital.

Police claim a Good Samaritan tried to give the motorcyclists assistance and the Manteca man allegedly stole the Good Samaritan's car. Law enforcement says the Manteca man fled south and started a chase through Stanislaus County, crossed over into Merced County and back into Stanislaus. Police say they arrested the Manteca man later that night in Modesto. In all, police claim the man stole three separate vehicles during the Saturday night pursuit.

Source: Stockton Record, "Woman injured during pursuit dies," Zachary K. Johnson, Sept 8. 2011