RANCHO CUCAMONGA >> Three people were arrested Thursday, one of them apparently beaten, after a high-speed pursuit that spanned two counties.
The pursuit began shortly before 11 a.m. after an alleged home burglary call in Rancho Cucamonga and ended in Pasadena after San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies used the PIT maneuver, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The driver, James Smith, 24, of Van Nuys, was taken into custody after he fled from the car. A passenger, Donovan Gardner, 25, of Pasadena, led deputies on a short foot chase.
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“Gardner turned over onto his back and refused to give the deputies his hands,” the statement read. “A use of force occurred wherein deputies struck Gardner multiple times. A third deputy arrived to assist and Gardner was taken into custody without the need for further force.”
The arrests and use of force were caught on film by television stations broadcasting the pursuit.
A third person, Simone King, 22, of Northridge, was arrested after being taken from the rear seat of the car.
Deputies from the sheriff’s Rancho Cucamonga station were called to a home near Penrose Place and Oldenberg Court after someone reported two men jumping a fence leading to home.
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Deputies were told that the suspects had left the area in a light blue sedan headed south on Penrose, officials said.
Patrol deputies found the suspects driving near Milliken Avenue and Base Line where they tried to pull the car over, officials said.
“The driver failed to yield to the marked units and a pursuit ensued,” officials said in a written release. “The suspect vehicle entered the 210 west travelling at speeds of over 100 miles per hour.”
During the high-speed chase, the suspects threw what authorities believe was stolen property from the car, officials added.
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The driver reached speeds in excess of 100 mph.
The dark-colored sedan eventually exited at Rosemead Boulevard in Pasadena and continued west.
Near the end of the pursuit, a deputy attempted a PIT maneuver sending the fleeing vehicle into a parked car and the patrol unit into a tree.
Smith and Gardner then fled the vehicle.
As deputies were taking Gardner into custody, he resisted commands to cooperate, officials said. Deputies ordered him to get down on the ground and put his hands behind his back, officials said.
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Gardner began to struggle with the two deputies trying to gain control of him and place him into custody, according to the statement.
The three suspects were taken to hospitals with complaints of pain, officials said.
Authorities confirmed Smith and Gardner are active gang members out of Pasadena. They also confirmed that Gardner is currently on parole for residential robbery and Smith is on parole for burglary.
“As with all use of force incidents, an investigation will be conducted to determine if the use of force was within department policy,” the statement said.