Owner taken for ride when police chase car theft suspects

By MERRILL BALASSONE
mbalassone@modbee.com

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Two carjacking suspects led Modesto police through east Modesto on Friday morning after the pair allegedly stole two cars, one with its 21-year-old owner inside.

Jason Martinez, 28, of Hughson, and Judy Martinez, 25, of Empire, were arrested within 20 minutes on suspicion of carjacking, kidnapping, auto theft, conspiracy and drug charges.

No one was injured, said Modesto police Sgt. Craig Gundlach. There was no evidence weapons were used.

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Judy Martinez was spotted and arrested when she tried to hide near businesses on Scenic Drive. The pair had gone into the nearby Walgreens store, reportedly to change their clothes. Jason Martinez ran across Oakdale Road and was tackled in the Save Mart parking lot by a man on his way to a nearby Kragen Auto Parts store.

"I have smoked cigarettes for 40 years, and I outran everybody," said Arasimo Lucido, who said he dragged Martinez to the ground. "It was a good 200- to 300-foot chase."

The Martinezes are not related, officials said.

The ordeal began at 8:40 a.m. when a gold GMC Envoy was reported stolen from a driveway on Vine Cliff Way, a block south of Floyd Avenue. The owner had left the engine running and gone back inside the house.

Modesto police officers spotted the Envoy near Floyd and Fine avenues just minutes later. The Envoy hit speeds of 90 mph on Roselle Avenue approaching Briggsmore Avenue, forcing officers to break off the chase for safety reasons, Gundlach said.

Police said the Martinezes abandoned the Envoy near Lakewood and Orangeburg avenues, and they didn't have to go far to find another vehicle left unlocked with its engine running -- a gold Kia minivan on the 1500 block of Virlee Drive.

Police described the events as follows:

As the two got into the minivan, the 21-year-old man who owns it came running, jumped inside and struggled with Jason Martinez. The suspects were able to drive away with the owner still inside.

Just two blocks away, an undercover officer saw the minivan speeding and driving recklessly. The officer followed the minivan and a Stanislaus County sheriff's helicopter shadowed them from overhead.

The minivan pulled into the parking lot of Walgreens on Oakdale Road, just north of Scenic, and a witness saw the Martinezes walk toward the store.

As officers surrounded the area, the Martinezes left Walgreens and tried to get into a four-door gold Dodge Intrepid.

After the arrests, Gundlach said, officers found that Jason Martinez was carrying methamphetamine. His shirt was soaked with sweat as he sat handcuffed in the back of a patrol car.

"A large percentage of auto thieves are committing these crimes to support a drug habit," said Modesto police Sgt. Tim Helton, with the Stanislaus County Auto Theft Task Force. "They aren't always thinking straight and can sometimes be pretty desperate. That's a bad combination."

Helton also had some advice for those who would leave their cars unattended to warm up in the driveway. "What they don't realize is that they are just making their car warm for the thieves," he said. "They need to understand the potential danger this puts everyone in."

Bee staff writer Merrill Balassone can be reached at mbalassone@modbee.com or 578-2337.