A man accused of stealing a vehicle and leading sheriff’s deputies on a chase through San Bernardino County allegedly rammed two patrol cars and reached speeds of more than 130 miles per hour, authorities said.
Armando Villareal, a 26-year-old Desert Hot Springs resident, reportedly refused to stop when two deputies spotted him driving along Highway 395 in a vehicle that had been reported stolen Thursday evening, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department. They found him around 9:30 p.m. after the vehicle was reported stolen in the 12000 block of the Air Expressway in Adelanto.
Villareal fled and continued driving south on the interstate before continuing onto the southbound 15 Freeway — where he reportedly drove at speeds of more than 130 miles per hour, according to sheriff’s officials.
A sheriff’s helicopter flew overhead as the chase entered the town of Redlands.
Once on a dead-end street, Villareal tried to escape and rammed two patrol cars, sheriff’s officials said. One of the cars became completely disabled and damaged the stolen vehicle to the point where it could no longer be driven.
He was taken into custody and booked into the High Desert Detention Center in Adelanto, where sheriff’s officials say he is being held on $100,000 bail. The department says he is being held on suspicion of motor vehicle theft, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a stolen vehicle and eluding a peace officer with disregard for public safety, among other charges.
