Suspect in San Bernardino Burned Body Leads Authorities on 2-County Chase [UPDATE]

PARAMOUNT, CA - A man driving an SUV hauling a trailer was arrested in Paramount on Friday morning after leading authorities on a pursuit from a spot in San Bernardino where the burned body of a homicide victim was found, authorities said.

Enrique Jimenez, a Highland resident whose age was not immediately known, was booked on suspicion of felony evading, said San Bernardino Police Department Lt. Rich Lawhead.

Two Highland juveniles who got out of the SUV during the pursuit were taken into custody for questioning.

Investigators were working to determine whether Jimenez or the youths were involved in the death of the unidentified homicide victim, a man believed to be in his 40s, Lawhead said.

The pursuit was triggered before 1 a.m., when a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy patrolling near Sixth Street and Sterling Avenue -- on the border between San Bernardino and Highland -- saw some people in a field "trying to light something on fire" and stopped to investigate, Lawhead said.

Three people got into an SUV and sped off, pursued by the deputy, Lawhead said.

The CHP took over the chase about 1 a.m. on the westbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway around the Orange (57) Freeway in the San Dimas area, Villalobos said.

The suspect then transitioned to the southbound Long Beach (710) Freeway around the Monterey Park area.

From there, the suspect moved to the eastbound Glen Anderson (105) Freeway in the Downey-South Gate area, Villalobos said.

"The suspect then exited on Lakewood Boulevard in Paramount and the pursuit ended on Orizaba Avenue, just north of Golden Avenue at 1:36 a.m.," Villalobos added.

The SUV was carrying a trailer, which became separated when the suspect exit the freeway onto surface street. A CHP sergeant said the trailer helped kept speed down during the pursuit.

During the chase, the suspect rammed at least two police vehicles around the Baldwin Park area, according to the CHP.

The CHP took the Hispanic man into custody in Paramount and held him for San Bernardino detectives. His name was not immediately available.

In response to questions from reporters about why he led law enforcement on the wild two-county pursuit, the unidentified suspect said cryptically, "I just wanted to see my wife."

According to Lawhead, when investigators went back to Sixth Street and Sterling Avenue, they found the burned body. Information was not immediately available on the man's identity or cause of death.

--City News Service contributed to this report, photo via Shutterstock