Alleged Car Thief, Kidnapper, Arrested

A car theft and kidnapping suspect, who led police on a high-speed chase and crashed the vehicle into a wall before eluding capture for three days, was arrested Sunday morning in Palm Springs.

Officers located Martin Gutierrez DeLeon Jr., 26, of Desert Hot Springs, in the 200 block of Mel Avenue in Palm Springs at 2 a.m. Sunday, according to Palm Springs Police Department spokeswoman Rhonda Long. DeLeon tried to run away but was quickly apprehended.

On Wednesday night, a woman reported that her vehicle had been stolen from the parking lot of the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs.

Fifty minutes after the theft, an officer spotted two people inside the “hot” car at a McDonald’s restaurant on East Vista Chino, Long said.

The driver, DeLeon, led officers on a nearly 11-mile high-speed chase into Desert Hot Springs. Spike strips were deployed, but the driver continued on flattened tires, Long said.

DeLeon turned into the front yard of a residence in the 65800 block of Eighth Street in Desert Hot Springs, where he crashed into a block wall.

Neither the passenger nor any house occupants were hurt, Long said.

DeLeon ran into the night and eluded capture. The passenger, a 26-year-old woman, is considered a kidnap victim, the spokeswoman said.

DeLeon was jailed for suspicion of auto theft, felony evading, kidnapping and possession of a controlled substance, Long said. He was held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning in lieu of $50,000 bail.