Three people were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries following a two-car collision in Palm Desert, which occurred after Riverside County sheriff’s deputies chased a trio of suspects connected to a theft at a nearby business Monday afternoon.
The incident also led to an extended closure of Washington Street between Hovley Lane and Fred Waring Drive on Monday afternoon.
Shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday, deputies with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department were dispatched to a business in the 72-000 block of Highway 111 in Palm Desert regarding a theft. They were told three suspects stole items and fled in a white vehicle.
A responding deputy located the suspects’ vehicle in the area of Hovley Lane and Portola Avenue. When the vehicle did not stop, the deputies began a pursuit, according to department spokesperson Sgt. Wendy Brito-Gonzalez.
“The vehicle stopped on Washington Street to drop off one of the suspects, who was immediately detained,” Brito-Gonzalez said in an email. “The suspect continued driving and collided into an uninvolved vehicle at Hovley Lane.”
The two suspects still in the car, as well as the driver of the other car, were treated for minor injuries.
The sheriff’s department is continuing to investigate the incident, and the results of the investigation will determine what charges the unidentified suspects could face, according to Brito-Gonzalez.
Tom Coulter covers the mid-valley. Reach him at thomas.coulter@desertsun.com.
