3 arrested in Modesto after stolen-car pursuit begins in Tracy

Three people were arrested in Modesto early Friday on suspicion of vehicle theft after a pursuit that originated in Tracy.

“At about 3:10 a.m., we were advised by Tracy CHP that they were in pursuit of a vehicle out of Modesto,” said Officer Eric Parsons, spokesman for the Modesto office of the California Highway Patrol.

The vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, entered Stanislaus County about 3:26 a.m., and the local CHP joined the pursuit. Modesto police and a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit also assisted.

The fleeing car exited from southbound Highway 99 at Briggsmore Avenue and continued south on Carpenter Road, Parsons said. The driver turned east onto Elm Avenue, then south onto Sundance Way. The driver yielded at Sundance and Moccasin Drive, and the three occupants were arrested about 3:35 a.m. and booked into the San Joaquin County jail.

Officers ran the Toyota’s vehicle identification number, and the car came back as having been stolen in Modesto on Thursday morning.

According to Officer Khalid Rashid of the Tracy CHP office, the driver was 23-year-old Dominic Ojeda of Lathrop. He faces felony charges of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and evading a peace officer with wanton disregard.

Two passengers, Nicole Hegedus, 21, and Andres Camacho, 23, both of Modesto, face charges of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and providing false identification to an officer.

The Toyota was taken during a carjacking Thursday morning on Veneman Avenue, said Modesto police Lt. Rigo DeAlba. “A lady was driving down the road when two guys stepped out with guns about 4 a.m. near the mall in a residential area. They yell at her to get out, and she does, and they take her car.”

The charges the suspects face in San Joaquin County stem only from Friday morning’s pursuit of the stolen car, DeAlba said. “So as of right now, they’re not charged with the incident when the car was taken,” he said. “Our detectives will now follow up with the citizen to see if she can identify any of them. We’ll see if we can prove the suspects in the car were the ones who took it from her.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 10:27 AM with the headline "3 arrested in Modesto after stolen-car pursuit begins in Tracy."