Modesto police: Man fled from officer with babies in car

Two infant children were inside a car that was fleeing from Modesto police on Wednesday evening when it crashed into a tree, authorities said.

The suspect ran from the car, leaving behind his babies and his girlfriend, who were not injured, said Modesto police spokeswoman Heather Graves.

He was first spotted by a lieutenant at the AM-PM mini-mart at Rumble Road and McHenry Avenue at 6:56 p.m. The lieutenant saw the suspect behaving aggressively toward a woman, and when he got out of his vehicle to confront him the suspect drove away.

The suspect was driving erratically, so the lieutenant did not pursue him but radioed for officers to be on the lookout for his car, Graves said.

Less than 10 minutes later, an officer spotted the car at Tokay Avenue and La Cienega Drive. He attempted to pull the car over but the suspect again fled, crashing into a tree a block away.

Graves said the officer did not initially see the babies and the suspect’s girlfriend in the car because the windows were tinted.

The suspect ran from the car and jumped over several fences before he was detained by three off-duty police officers in the area.

Joshua Towles, 20, was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment, evading and probation violation.

This story was originally published September 10, 2015 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Modesto police: Man fled from officer with babies in car."