A 39-year-old man accused of stealing a vehicle and leading authorities on a pursuit that injured a pedestrian before ending in Indio was behind bars Tuesday.
Victor Diaz of Thermal was booked into the Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of vehicle theft, evading a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon and other charges, according to Sgt. Robert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Bail information was not immediately available.
Deputies responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at 2:18 p.m. Monday in the area of Third Street and Frank J. Valdovino Road in the unincorporated area of Mecca.
They found the vehicle in the area and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver failed to yield and a pursuit was initiated, authorities said.
During the chase, the allegedly stolen vehicle hit a pedestrian, who sustained minor injuries and was taken to a hospital in stable vital signs. It also struck a deputy sheriff’s patrol vehicle, Martinez said, but no deputies were injured.
The pursuit ended when the vehicle came to rest in the 82000 block of Indio Boulevard. The driver sustained minor injuries and was evaluated by paramedics at the scene.