Man sentenced for La Quinta robbery, stolen vehicle pursuit

A Riverside man was sentenced today to six years and eight months in prison for robbing a La Quinta business and leading sheriff's deputies on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle.

Raul Tamayo Jr., 38, was convicted of four felony counts -- robbery, evading arrest, vehicle theft and receiving a stolen vehicle with a prior vehicle theft.

According to Deputy Armando Munoz, sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a theft at a business in the 79200 block of Highway 111 in La Quinta on March 16, 2017.

The theft investigation yielded a suspect vehicle description and license plate number, which matched that of a car reported stolen from Palm Springs earlier in the day, Munoz said.

About 10 minutes after sheriff's deputies responded to the La Quinta business, the car was spotted by a sheriff's deputy near Highway 111 and Portola Avenue in Palm Desert, leading to a pursuit on westbound Interstate 10, as well as streets in Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage, Munoz said.  

He led sheriff deputies on a pursuit, but Tamayo surrendered without incident near the Palm Drive exit in Cathedral City.  

No deputies or civilians were injured during the pursuit, Munoz said.