An 18-year-old Hemet man and a teenager suspected in a gun assault that seriously wounded a 17-year-old boy were captured following a police pursuit that left an officer injured, authorities said today.
(Daniel Lane/SWRNN)
John Henry Barber and a 16-year-old boy, whose identity was withheld because of his age, were arrested Monday night after a chase that began in the 1900 block of Devonshire Avenue.
They were wanted in connection with a Jan. 27 shooting in which a teen was shot multiple times during a confrontation in the 40000 block of Poppy Drive, said Hemet police Lt. Duane Wisehart.
He said two suspects were apprehended shortly after the shooting, which is being investigated by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, but Barber and his alleged accomplice remained at large.
Around 4:20 p.m. Monday, Hemet police officers spotted the pair on Devonshire and gave chase.
According to Wisehart, the suspects ditched their getaway vehicle in a carport and bailed on foot. Barber was caught a short time later, but the teenager led officers on a “lengthy foot chase through traffic, over walls and fences, through residential neighborhoods, finally ending near apartments on south Yale Street,” Wisehart said.
The boy tangled with officers, who finally got him under control, though one patrolman suffered an injury to one of his legs and his jaw, requiring hospital treatment, the lieutenant said.
The 16-year-old was allegedly in possession of two stolen semi-automatic handguns and a stolen cell phone, all of which were taken during a burglary the week before, according to Wisehart.
During their investigation, officers also located a vehicle stolen from the parking lot at Tahquitz High School in Hemet. Wisehart said the car was discovered abandoned on Merylyn Street.
Barber was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning on suspicion of receiving stolen property.
The teen was booked into Southwest Juvenile Hall in Murrieta on suspicion of resisting arrest, possession of a loaded firearm and possession of stolen property.
Wisehart said sheriff’s investigators are expected to seek additional charges related to the Jan. 27 shooting.
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