September 21, 2010
Man arrested after citizen gives chase
A Los Angeles man was arrested late Saturday after a South County resident heard shots, saw a hunting spotlight and chased a suspect’s vehicle for 45 minutes, sheriff’s deputies reported.
The suspect, Ricardo Coronado De La Cruz, 54, was booked into the Monterey County Jail on charges of carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle, using an illegal spotlight and hunting at night.
Deputies said a resident near Metz and Spreckels roads reported hearing three shots near his home about 11:20p.m. and a saw someone using a spotlight near the road.
The resident began following the suspect’s vehicle but couldn’t call 911 for 10 minutes because of poor cellular service. The chase ultimately lasted 45 minutes at speeds up to 70mph.
The suspect reportedly almost lost control of his Ford F350 truck several times, deputies said. King City police stopped the truck; the suspect’s wife and 13-year-old daughter were with him, deputies said.
Deputies found a rifle, handgun and crossbow in the truck, along with ammunition, night-vision equipment, a laser range finder, binoculars, portable radios, a spotlight, duck call, black face paint and other hunting equipment. The man’s wife and daughter were released.