5-Year Prison Sentence For Man Who Led Chase, Caused Murrieta Crash

MURRIETA, CA — A police chase through Murrieta streets earlier this year, which ended with a multi-injury crash, had a final moment in court Monday when Ricardo Avila Perez, 31, of Perris was sentenced to five years in state prison.

The Perris probationer admitted in March to felony counts that stemmed from his actions, including eluding law enforcement resulting in great bodily injury and driving under the influence of drugs resulting in injuries.

In exchange for his admissions under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, prosecutors dropped charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of controlled substances for sale.

During a hearing Monday at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Superior Court Judge Jiff Zimel imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

The chase was triggered around 10:50 a.m. March 5 when Murrieta police officers spotted a stolen white sedan driven near the intersection of Juniper Street and Jefferson Avenue.

Officers repeatedly tried to pull the driver — Perez — over but he sped away each time, according to the Murrieta Police Department.

"The pursuit continued on city streets, subsequently ending when the suspect vehicle ran a red light at the intersection of Nutmeg Street and Jackson Avenue and collided with three other vehicles," according to the police department.

Perez and his female passenger, along with six other people inside the other crash vehicles, were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

According to court records, Perez has a string of prior felony and misdemeanor convictions, including evading, receiving a stolen vehicle, being a felon in possession of a gun and driving under the influence of drugs.

—Patch Editor Toni McAllister and City News Service contributed to this report.