Burglar leads police on a high speed chase

Palm Springs Police catch a suspected burglar but not before he leads them on a high speed chase.

According to Palm Springs Police, on Monday, January 7, just after 7:00 p.m., an Officer was patrolling the 1800 block of East Rochelle Road. The officer observed a wanted felon, by the name of Waldo Barker, stopped in a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am.

At the time of the stop, Barker was a named suspect in two residential burglaries, two vehicle burglaries, and a vehicle theft, all recently occurring within Palm Springs. Barker also had a felony warrant for his arrest.

The officer stopped his patrol car in front of Barker’s vehicle and ordered Barker at gunpoint to turn off the car. Barker ignored the officer’s repeated commands, backed the vehicle up, and sped off leading officers on a high speed pursuit that ended 10 miles later in Cathedral City before Barker crashed into a road barrier while trying to enter Interstate Ten from the Date Palm on-ramp.

Barker was arrested without incident. He was treated and released for minor injuries and was later taken to the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility.