FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A 20-year-old has been arrested after being on what deputies call a “Joy Ride” in which he was speeding up to 120 mph in Fresno, but he was later released, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff’s officials say around 8:30 p.m. on June 8, a deputy attempted to make a traffic stop on a red Mercedes Benz traveling at a high rate of speed in the area of Highway 41 and Jensen Avenue in Fresno.
Deputies say the driver, later identified as 20-year-old Oscar Duarte of Fresno, refused to pull over and sped away, making several unsafe lane changes. After about two minutes, the deputy canceled his pursuit, and the California Highway Patrol’s airplane, AIR 43, took over by following the suspect.
The aircrew continuously relayed the vehicle’s movements and locations to ground patrols. Sheriff’s officials say Duarte would drive through red lights, and pass vehicles on the shoulder and in the median as he tried to avoid being captured. He took several routes driving between 90 mph to 100 mph, before finally exiting Belmont Avenue from Highway 99 at around 8:45 p.m., where deputies and CHP units surrounded the Mercedes and ordered the driver out of the vehicle.
Deputies say the driver complied with law enforcement’s commands and was taken into custody. Duarte later told officers he did not stop because he had watched other drivers behave the same way in videos posted on the Internet and thought it would be fun to do the same.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office says he did not strike any other vehicles on the roadway. Duarte has since been released from custody and has been issued a future court date.
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