Pursuit of armed felon in Riverbank ends with arrest near Modesto, thanks to help from K9
What started as a traffic violation in Riverbank on Tuesday morning led to a vehicle pursuit that ended with the suspect hiding in a field and armed with four guns, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop on a gold Cadillac in the area of Westlake Drive and Roselle Avenue around 1:17 a.m., according to a press release.
The driver of the Cadillac failed to pull over and a pursuit ensued. It was terminated after three minutes due to public safety concerns.
Not long after that, several people called 911 to report a vehicle on fire at the dead-end of American Avenue north of Modesto, according to the release.
Deputies responded and found the gold Cadillac on fire. They also learned that at some point following the initial pursuit, the suspect called 911 to report his Cadillac had been stolen.
Deputies searched the area and found the suspect “hiding in a nearby field, hunkered down in the brush,” according to the release.
After the suspect refused to follow deputies’ orders, a K9 was used to apprehend him.
He was searched and found to be in possession of four firearms, according to the release.
The suspect, 27-year-old Justin Rocha, is a previously convicted felon, according to the release.
After being medically treated for dog bites, Rocha was booked into the Public Safety Center on nine different felony and misdemeanor charges related to the weapons possession and pursuit.
This story was originally published May 17, 2022 at 4:45 PM.
