Two juveniles accused of robbing school district employee’s vehicle with a handgun in Indio
Two juveniles accused of an armed carjacking at an elementary school parking lot were arrested when they were seen driving that vehicle nearby, the Indio police announced.
The robbery was reported at Herbert Hoover Elementary School in Indio at around 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Indio police officers said they learned that an employee with the Desert Sands Unified School District was approached in the school site parking lot by two individuals as the victim exited their vehicle.
The two individuals were believed to be armed with a handgun and forcibly took the victim’s vehicle against their will, police said.
The victim was not injured during the incident.
An officer later saw the stolen vehicle and attempted a traffic stop at Hoover Avenue and Sun Gold Street, just around the corner from the school where the robbery initially took place.
Police that the driver did not yield to the officer's attempts for a traffic stop and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit went into the city of Coachella and ended when the driver oversteered while making a turn.
The vehicle ended up in a vacant dirt field near Cesar Chavez Street between Avenue 53 and Avenue 54.
Police confirmed that the two suspects were male juveniles, however, there was no word on their ages.
The two juveniles were taken into custody without further incident.
Police said they did not locate any weapons at the scene. The vehicle was recovered and returned to the owner.
The driver was booked into the Juvenile Hall facility in Indio for carjacking and failure to yield felony charges and the passenger was released from the Indio Police Department to their parent/guardian pending further investigation.
If anyone has any further information regarding this case, contact the Indio Police Department at 760) 391-4051 or call anonymous information through Valley Crime Stoppers at (760) 341- STOP(7867).
