Burglary suspect arrested after pursuit through grocery store and up hill in Palm Springs
Palm Springs police arrested a suspected burglar Monday afternoon following an hourslong pursuit through a residential area, a grocery store and up a hillside.
According to police, a homeowner on the 2100 block of Bob O Link Lane reported a possible burglary at their vacant rental property just before 11:30 a.m. after observing a man going in and out of the home on security camera footage.
The chase began when police arrived on the scene and saw a man and woman attempting to flee. In a Facebook post, the Palm Springs Police Department said officers arrested the woman in the backyard of the house, while the man fled into the neighborhood.
Police pursued the suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Julian Baez of Cathedral City, through the neighborhood and across East Palm Canyon Drive into the Rimrock Plaza shopping center.
Palm Springs Police Department representatives were not able to immediately provide details on what Baez was suspected of stealing, but Lt. Gustavo Araiza said that he was wanted for a parole violation at the time and had had run-ins with Palm Springs police in the past related to burglaries. Araiza added that Baez was wearing only board shorts throughout the pursuit.
According to police, Baez climbed onto the roof of the Rimrock Plaza Vons, prompting the grocery store's manager to issue an evacuation order for all customers, followed by a store lockdown. With the help of nearby construction workers, police reached the roof of the grocery store via a lift on the property and proceeded to search the store's crawl spaces and attic.
Despite their efforts, Baez escaped the grocery store and fled up the nearby hillside. Palm Springs police called in assistance from a California Highway Patrol plane and a Riverside County Sheriff's Department helicopter to aid officers pursuing the suspected burglar up the hillside.
As they closed in, police say Baez began throwing rocks and "large boulders" at them before wedging himself into a deep crevice like a chuckwalla.
He was rooted out and arrested before being taken to a hospital for heat exhaustion and injuries to his feet due to his lack of shoes throughout the rough hillside pursuit, according to Araiza. The police lieutenant said none of the officers were injured by the thrown rocks, although two were treated for heat-related conditions on the scene.
According to police, Baez will be transported to the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio following his treatment and booked on charges of residential burglary and resisting an officer.
James B. Cutchin covers business in the Coachella Valley. Reach him at james.cutchin@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs police chase suspected burglar through Vons grocery store
