Deputy crashes patrol car during pursuit in Modesto; suspected driver arrested

Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 34-year-old man who was involved in a vehicle pursuit Sunday that ended when a patrol car crashed in downtown Modesto, authorities said.

Rafael Alvarez was booked in jail on a probation violation and a charge of reckless evasion of a peace officer. Alvarez was wearing an electronic ankle monitor that allows authorities to track his whereabouts.

Sheriff’s Lt. Marc Nuno said deputies received information that Alvarez had wrapped a firearm, possibly a long rifle, and placed it in a white Mercedes near Vivian and Hatch roads before driving away.

The Mercedes was spotted in the Carpenter Road area and Alvarez would not pull over, Nuno said. A deputy pursued the Mercedes through streets in west Modesto.

As the patrol car chased the Mercedes southbound on Eighth Street, the Mercedes ran the stop sign at K Street. The deputy slowed down and almost made it through the intersection but was clipped on the rear bumper by a Lexus, which was eastbound on K Street, authorities said.

The patrol car went out of control and crashed into a tree and sign on the east side of Eighth Street. Authorities said the driver of the Mercedes got away. The sheriff’s deputy, whose name has not been released, suffered minor injuries and was evaluated at a local hospital.

Nuno said the deputy apparently got a license plate number; in addition, Alvarez had the ankle monitor.

Alvarez was later tracked to a home in the 200 block of Rosemont Avenue in Modesto and arrested. Deputies did not find a firearm in the vehicle, though the suspect had time to get rid of it, Nuno said.

Modesto police are responsible for investigating the collision, which occurred around 2:15 p.m. Information on the driver of the Lexus was not available.

Nuno said that before going through the two-way stop, the deputy thought the driver of the Lexus had seen him and was stopping. He said the Mercedes ran through a number of stop signs during the pursuit.

This story was originally published December 26, 2016 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Deputy crashes patrol car during pursuit in Modesto; suspected driver arrested."