Probationer Pleads Not Guilty In Murrieta Police Chase, Injury Crash

MURRIETA, CA — A probationer who allegedly led Murrieta police on a pursuit through the city in a stolen vehicle that ultimately crashed at an intersection, injuring eight people, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to eluding law enforcement resulting in great bodily injury and other offenses.

Ricardo Avila Perez, 31, of Perris, was arrested March 5 following the three-mile chase and collision.

Along with the eluding count, Perez is charged with auto theft, possession of controlled substances and probation violations.

The defendant was arraigned before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jiff Zimel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for March 27 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Perez is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.

The pursuit happened shortly before 11 a.m. March 5, beginning less than a block from the Murrieta Police Department, at Jefferson Avenue and Juniper Street, according to a police statement.

Police said Perez was passing through the intersection when he committed an unspecified traffic violation, prompting a patrol unit to initiate an enforcement stop, discovering in the process that the sedan had been reported stolen.

"As officers approached the vehicle to make contact with its two occupants, the driver of the stolen vehicle sped away," the police department stated.

Patrol officers went after him, and Perez slowed down as if he intended to surrender but didn't, and the chase continued northbound, police said.

"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, colliding with three other vehicles," police said.

Six people in the three vehicles involved in the collision suffered non-life-threatening injuries, along with Perez and the woman in the vehicle with him, according to authorities.

The parties' identities were not disclosed. All were taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment and have since been released.

Perez was not booked into jail at the time of his arrest due to his injuries. However, he was medically cleared by doctors last week, after which he was transferred to the downtown Riverside jail.

According to court records, the defendant 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.