Men charged in Indio pursuit and neighborhood search plead guilty

Update 06/27/17:

Two young men who led police on a vehicle and foot pursuit triggered by reports of gunfire in an Indio residential neighborhood pleaded guilty today to evading arrest and concealed firearm charges.

Jonathan Bates and Jaime Mejia, both 19, are scheduled to be sentenced July 7.

————————————————————————

Original story:

Indio police have released the names of two of the three suspects arrested following a brief pursuit on Sun Gould Street & Miles Avenue Wednesday afternoon. Officers were investigating a report of shots being fired in the area of Sierra and Paseo Cielo at about 10:20 a.m.

Jonathan Bates, 19, and Jaime Mejia, 18, both from Indio, were booked on suspicion of shooting at an inhabited dwelling, resisting arrest and multiple weapons violations, according to Indio police Sgt. Daniel Marshall.

The third suspect, a 15-year-old boy whose name was withheld due to his age, was booked into Riverside County Juvenile Hall, Marshall said.

Officers responded at 10:22 a.m. Wednesday to reports of gunshots fired near Sierra Avenue and Paseo Cielo. Residents provided police with a description of the suspects’ dark-colored SUV, which was spotted by patrolling officers about 30 minutes later, Marshall said.

The driver refused to pull over for officers, triggering a three-minute pursuit that ended when the trio bailed out of the SUV and took off on foot in different directions in the vicinity of Miles and Santa Rosa avenues.

The driver, who was armed with a handgun, was the first to be taken into custody. Another suspect, who ditched his gun during the chase, was later found hiding in a residential backyard.

A search perimeter was established to locate the third suspect, who was found around 1 p.m. near Sierra Avenue.

Bates was free on bail Thursday, according to jail records, while Mejia remained in custody at the Riverside County jail in Indio.

Stay with KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2 for more updates.