Felon charged with carjacking, leading cops on chase into Coachella Valley
BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) - A convicted felon accused of carjacking a motorist at knifepoint in Calimesa and leading law enforcement officers on a chase into the Coachella Valley was charged today with kidnapping and other offenses.
Steven Christopher Mata, 33, of San Diego was arrested Sunday morning following the pursuit by Riverside County sheriff's deputies and Palm Springs police officers.
Along with kidnapping, Mata is charged with carjacking, auto theft, eluding a peace officer, possession of controlled substances and presenting false identification to a law enforcement official, as well as sentence-enhancing allegations of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony and committing a felony while on probation.
Mata pleaded not guilty during an arraignment before Superior Court Judge Jay Kiel, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for March 21 at the Banning Justice Center and ordered the defendant held in lieu of $200,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.
Sheriff's Sgt. Kirby Wooldridge said that shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday, Mata confronted a motorist in a Nissan Altima in Calimesa, brandished a knife and directed the victim, whose identity was not disclosed, to drive eastbound on Interstate 10.
The driver stopped in Banning and was able to get away from the probationer, Wooldridge said.
He said that afterward, the defendant picked up a friend and the two continued eastward in the stolen car.
Based on details provided by the victim, patrol deputies initiated a search for the Nissan, spotting it in the area of Haugen-Lehman Way and Tamarack Road in Whitewater, culminating in a vehicle pursuit, according to the sergeant.
"Due to the suspect's dangerous driving actions, deputies discontinued the pursuit,'' Wooldridge said. ``A short time later, Palm Springs Police Department officers located the vehicle on Indian Canyon Drive, north of Tramview Road.''
The sheriff's spokesman alleged that both Mata and his friend fled from the car on foot but were quickly apprehended without further incident. No one was injured.
After interviewing the friend, investigators determined she had nothing to do with the carjacking or chase and she was let go, according to Wooldridge.
Mata was booked into the Banning jail.
Court records show he has a prior conviction in Riverside County for making criminal threats, as well as convictions in another jurisdiction that weren't listed.
