Driver Arrested After Allegedly Fleeing Palo Alto Sideshow, Clipping Police Car, Hitting Tree, Killing Dog
PALO ALTO (CBS SF) -- A man who fled a November sideshow in Palo Alto, sideswiping a police car in the process before slamming into a tree, was arrested following his recovery from major injuries in the crash that also injured a passenger and killed a dog riding along, police said Friday.
At least four vehicles were performing sideshow stunts at about 1 a.m. on November 26 at the east end of Embarcadero Road near the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve. The vehicles fled as officers approached and one, a red 2013 Chevrolet Camaro, clipped a police car, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision, Palo Alto police said.
Shortly after, the Camaro veered off the road and smashed into a tree on the north side of the 1900 block of Embarcadero Road. The three other vehicles continued fleeing and with one officer in pursuit but they entered U.S. Highway 101 and were able to escape, according to police.
Investigators at the crash scene determined neither the driver nor the passenger were wearing seatbelts and both were hospitalized in an intensive care unit with major injuries. A small dog in the car also sustained major injuries and was euthanized at a veterinary hospital.
Both the driver, identified as 26-year-old Jonathan Millan Sanchez of East Palo Alto, and his female passenger were eventually released from the hospital. On March 8, an arrest warrant was issued for Millan Sanchez for four felony counts: assault with a deadly weapon on a peace office, evading causing serious bodily injury, driving under the influence of alcohol while injuring another person, and driving under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs while injuring another person.
The unidentified passenger was not charged.
Police said attempts to find Millan Sanchez throughout March were unsuccessful, but on March 30, Redwood City police officers found him during a vehicle stop on University Ave. and Runnymeade St. in East Palo Alto where he was a passenger in the car.
He was taken into custody and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail.
Police have not been able to identify the three other vehicles, their drivers, or occupants. Anyone with information about this incident was asked to call the Palo Alto police 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413 or send anonymous tips to paloalto@tipnow.org. Text or voice mail to can also be sent to (650) 383-8984.
