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Suspects arrested after allegedly stealing vehicles, fleeing through desert in DHS

Published August 20, 2018 11:34 AM

Two men were arrested in Desert Hot Springs Sunday morning after trying to run from police in a stolen vehicle, the Desert Hot Springs Police Department said.

Officers were conducting a patrol check of the desert area near Park Lane, east of Verbena Drive, just after 8 a.m. when they noticed a white GMC truck and a white 1995 Honda Civic parked off the road, according to Sgt. Daud Chang.

Two men near the vehicles hopped inside and fled southbound through the desert after noticing the police vehicle approaching, Chang said.

The California Highway Patrol, via an air unit, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department were called in to assist, and the suspects were located nearby.

Chang said the Civic had been reported stolen earlier in the day and that the GMC had also been stolen.

Mauro Rodriguez, 34, and Brian Barragan, 27 were arrested. Each was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on suspicion of joyriding and possessing a stolen vehicle.