Wild pursuit through Victorville ends in PIT maneuver, repeat auto theft suspect arrested
A Norco man already on probation for auto theft led deputies on a dangerous pursuit through Victorville Tuesday afternoon.
Around 1:40 p.m., deputies assigned to the Victorville Police Department found a 1998 Honda sedan that had been reported stolen in Cabazon in the parking lot of Walmart, 11896 Amargosa Road, the agency said in a written statement.
They soon spotted a man, later identified as 26-year-old Raezahntae Edward Baird, getting into the driver seat of the car and start to leave, police said. The deputies tried to pull him over, but he fled.
"During the pursuit, Baird drove on the opposite side of the road, into oncoming traffic, failed to stop at several red lights and drove at a high-rate of speed in residential areas," the statement said.
The 9-mile chase ended when deputies intentionally struck the fleeing car to stop it using a pursuit intervention technique, or PIT maneuver, after it got onto the southbound 15 Freeway, according to officials and county booking records.
Baird was arrested and booked in jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and recklessly evading police, records show.
At the time of Tuesday's incident, Baird was already on felony probation due to a previous conviction for possessing a stolen vehicle in Riverside County, police said.
Bail for Baird was set at $100,000 pending an initial court appearance, which was scheduled Wednesday in the Victorville branch of San Bernardino County Superior Court.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: PIT maneuver brings end to pursuit of auto theft suspect in Victorville
