Palm Springs

Palm Springs Officers Injured When Teen Chase Driver Rams Patrol Car, Police Say

Both injured officers were hospitalized following a pursuit and confrontation with a 15-year-old driver.

An officer looks through items found in a car at the end of a pursuit Tuesday Dec. 20, 2022 in Palm Springs.
Palm Springs Police Department

A 63-year-old man and 15-year-old boy were arrested after the teen driver allegedly rammed a Palm Spring police patrol vehicle and injured two officers at the end of a chase .

The police department's Crime Suppression Team attempted to pull over a Toyota Camry near Murray Canyon Drive and South Toledo Avenue shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. They driver refused to yield, leading to a high-speed chase.

The driver ran several stop signs and drove the wrong way during the chase, police said. The pursuit ended when the driver entered a cul-de-sac on Saint Thomas Circle and stopped in a driveway.

The man got out of the passenger side of the car and ran as the boy behind the wheel backed up and struck the police vehicle. Two officers positioned behind the vehicle's open doors were injured.

One officer was pinned between the car's door and door frame, police said.

"Both of their heads shattered each of their windows and the interior of the rear passenger door shows damage from one of the officer's legs," police said in a statement.

Both of the injured officers were taken to a hospital. Details about their conditions were not immediately available, but one officer was expected to be released.

After striking the officers, the teen allegedly sped away again, continuing the pursuit until he struck rock landscaping near Farrell Drive and Mesquite Avenue, according to police. After the crash, he got out of the vehicle and jumped over a wall onto a golf course, police said.

A helicopter crew from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, along with officers from other agencies, helped search for the suspects, who were found a short time later, according to police.

Following the pursuit, investigators allegedly found four stolen catalytic converters and a Sawzall motorized saw inside the Camry, police said.

Ivory Lee Barnes Sr. was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, grand theft and vandalism, according to the Palm Springs Police Department. The boy was arrested on suspicion of resisting an officer, evading an officer and assault with a deadly weapon.

Both suspects are Indio residents. It was not immediately clear whether they have attorneys.

According to jail records, Barnes remains jailed on $210,000 bail. The boy, whose name was not released because of his age, was booked into Indio Juvenile Hall, according to police.

Copyright City News Service
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