A 20-year-old man was arrested Saturday afternoon near Joshua Tree National Park after an 11-hour manhunt that began when he allegedly got out of his vehicle following a police chase, fired a gun and fled the scene.
No law enforcement officers were injured, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, which assisted Riverside County Sheriff's Department personnel.
Jonathan Rodriguez was arrested without incident, the release said, around 2:22 p.m. Saturday at a home on Pueblo Trail in the small community of Joshua Tree, adjacent to the national park.
He had not been booked into the city's Morongo Basin Jail as of Saturday afternoon, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Mara Rodriguez said by email, adding that information about the suspect's vehicle and the gun he allegedly fired were not available.
The arrest concluded a pursuit that began when Riverside County Sheriff's Department deputies attempted to stop a vehicle near Camino Idilio and Palm Drive in Desert Hot Springs for “a vehicle code violation,” according to a department statement.
Rodriguez allegedly failed to stop, so deputies pursued him on I-10 westbound from Date Palm to Highway 62, then to Yucca Trail and Airway Avenue, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department statement.
San Bernardino County sheriff’s personnel took over the chase, which ended in the 60800 block of Mountain View Trail, a stretch of scenic road just outside the northwest boundary of Joshua Tree National Park. Rodriguez allegedly exited his vehicle, “fired several rounds from a firearm” and then fled, according to the San Bernardino County statement.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Authorities asked anyone with relevant information to call the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office at (909) 387-8313 or provide anonymous information at (800) 782-7463 or www.wetip.com.
