A probationer who led Murrieta police on a pursuit through the city in a stolen vehicle that crashed at an intersection, injuring eight people, was sentenced Monday to five years in state prison.
In March, Ricardo Avila Perez, 31, of Perris admitted eluding law enforcement resulting in great bodily injury and driving under the influence of drugs resulting in injuries under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
In exchange for his admissions, prosecutors dropped charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of controlled substances for sale.
During a hearing Monday at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Superior Court Judge Jiff Zimel imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.
The pursuit happened shortly before 11 a.m. on March 5, beginning less than a block from the Murrieta Police Department, at Jefferson Avenue and Juniper Street, according to a police statement.
The agency said that Perez was passing through the intersection when he committed an unspecified traffic violation, prompting a patrol unit to initiate an enforcement stop, discovering that the sedan had been reported stolen.
“As officers approached the vehicle to make contact with its two occupants, the driver of the stolen vehicle sped away,” the police department stated.
Patrol officers went after him, and Perez slowed down as if he intended to surrender but didn’t, and the chase proceeded northbound for three miles.
“The pursuit continued on city streets, ending when the suspect vehicle ran a red light at the intersection of Nutmeg Street and Jackson Avenue, colliding with three other vehicles,” police said.
Six people in the three vehicles involved in the collision suffered non-life-threatening injuries, along with Perez and the woman in the vehicle with him.
The parties’ identities were not disclosed. All were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment and have since recovered.
According to court records, the defendant had a string of prior felony and misdemeanor convictions, including evading, receiving a stolen vehicle, being a felon in possession of a gun and driving under the influence of drugs.