A 13-year-old girl was arrested early Tuesday morning in Palm Springs after police say she fled from a deputy after the officer saw her driving a stolen vehicle.
An officer with the Palm Springs Police Department tried to pull over the unnamed Cathedral City resident about 1 am on E. Tahquitz Canyon near Avenida Caballeros after noticing that the vehicle matched the description of a car taken in a residential burglary in Thousand Palms.
The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver sped away in an attempt to evade arrest. A short pursuit ensued but quickly ended when the driver crashed the vehicle in the area of E. Tahquitz Canyon and El Cielo Road.
The driver exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The officer chased the driver and quickly apprehended her.
There were other occupants in the vehicle. One remained with the vehicle and was detained. The other fled on foot. A search was conducted on foot and by helicopter but the remaining occupant was not located.
Officers determined that the vehicle as indeed the one taken in the burglary in Thousand Palms. Additional property from the burglary was located inside the vehicle.
The 13-year-old driver was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful taking of vehicle, and possession of stole property.
The burglary investigation is being handled by the Riverside County’s Sheriff Department.
