Salinas Attempted Murder Suspect In Food Truck Leads Police In High-Speed Chase
SALINAS (CBS SF) -- Police arrested a man wanted for attempted murder Thursday afternoon, after he led them on a high-speed pursuit through Monterey County in a stolen food truck.
At 3:49 p.m., officers received a report of a catering truck that had been taken from the driveway of a home on Terrace Avenue by a male and a female suspect, police said.
Police advised officers to be on the lookout for the stolen truck, and a short time later an officer spotted the stolen truck headed north on Sherwood Avenue, according to police.
As officers attempted to stop the truck, the driver sped up and drove onto northbound U.S. Highway 101 at a speed of approximately 80 miles per hour, according to police.
The pursuit continued into Prunedale and onto westbound State Highway 156. At that point, California Highway Patrol officers took over the chase, with Salinas police trailing to assist, police said.
The driver then sped through Marina, Fort Ord and into Seaside, where Salinas police were relieved by Monterey County Sheriff's deputies and Seaside police.
The driver, later identified as Ricardo Carranza, continued driving erratically and the pursuit was eventually called off as the stolen truck entered Monterey, police said.
At some point, Carranza dropped off the female passenger and then parked the truck in a driveway near the corner of Encina Avenue and English Avenue, police said.
Carranza then jumped several fences in an attempt to hide himself. Seaside and Monterey police were able to locate him and took him into custody.
Officers also located stolen property in Carranza's possession and inside the stolen truck, according to police.
Carranza was booked into the Monterey County Jail on charges related to the pursuit and on a $1.5 million warrant that Salinas police obtained in connection to three previous high-speed pursuits. He also had a warrant for his arrest on an attempted homicide charge from a July 11 incident, in which he allegedly intentionally ran down a female he was arguing with, police said.
Officers returned the stolen food truck to its owners.
Police were not able to locate the female passenger and her identity is currently unknown, police said.
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