Indio man arrested after Palm Springs police pursuit

On Friday around 1:46 a.m., officers from the Palm Springs Police Department attempted a traffic stop on a suspected intoxicated and wrong way driver in the area of S. Indian Canyon and Ramon Road.

The driver, identified as 24-year-old Gilberto Hernandez III, of Indio, failed to stop for police and a short vehicle pursuit ensued.

Hernandez drove his off-road equipped truck into the desert in an attempt to escape officers but his vehicle became disabled and he fled on foot into a nearby housing complex. Officers set up a perimeter around the complex and checked the suspect’s vehicle which revealed a loaded 40 caliber handgun and a shotgun inside the drivers’ compartment.

Officers completed a yard-to-yard search and located the Hernandez hiding on a rooftop of a residence. He was taken into custody without incident and was later booked into the Banning Jail.