2 arrested after stolen car leads to police chase

A man and woman were tracked down Monday morning after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended in a foot pursuit through a Coachella neighborhood.

According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, a vehicle that was reported stolen in La Quinta was spotted by officers near Avenue 50 and Van Buren Street around 8:45 a.m.

The suspect, 25-year-old Gilardo Davila, evaded the Coachella Police Department when officers tried to pull him over. He and the passenger, 23-year-old Jessica Garcia, ended up ditching the stolen car in the 83000 block of Jaderock Road.

After an extensive yard-to-yard search, both suspects were found hiding in a home in the 83000 block of Shadowrock Drive, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

Davila and Garcia are both from Coachella.

Davila was arrested on charges of vehicle theft, being a convicted felon in possession of a loaded handgun, possession of stolen property, resisting arrest, and a no-bail felony warrant for violating the terms of his probation, according to authorities. He was booked into the Riverside County Jail.

Garcia was arrested on a felony narcotics-related warrant and for resisting arrest. She was also booked into the Riverside County Jail in Indio but her bail is set at $57,500.

Deputies said 24-year-old Efrain Simon Arriaga was a third passenger in the stolen vehicle. He was arrested at the scene for possession of drug paraphernalia and was then released and cited to appear in court.

The Coachella Police Department is also investigating a second stolen vehicle in the same area after they found property from it inside the vehicle Davila was driving.

If you have information about the incident, call Officer Matthew Martinez with the Coachella Police Department at 760-863-8990.