Parolee identified as suspect who assaulted deputy, crashed on I-15 in Victorville
A vehicle collision that shut down a portion of Interstate 15 in Victorville on Tuesday was caused by a parolee at large, who was considered armed and dangerous, sheriff’s officials said.
Around 3:07 p.m., deputies located a stolen Jeep at a gas station in the 15000 block of Palmdale Road. At the scene, the driver, later identified as 55-year-year-old Paul Thomas of San Bernardino, left the vehicle when deputies tried to speak to him.
Thomas is a parolee at large, considered armed and dangerous, with a felony no bail warrant issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
When deputies attempted to arrest Thomas, he got back into the Jeep and used it to ram a sheriff’s vehicle before driving eastbound on Palmdale Road, according to deputies.
After Thomas entered the southbound onramp to I-15, he rolled the Jeep across multiple lanes. The vehicle came to rest on the freeway between Palmdale Road and La Mesa Road.
Authorities said Thomas was partially ejected and pinned under the vehicle. Victorville firefighters pulled Thomas from the vehicle.
Mercy Air landed at the scene and took Thomas to a nearby trauma center, where he remains hospitalized in critical condition.
The California Highway Patrol responded to handle the traffic collision investigation. Southbound lanes of I-15 remained closed until approximately 7:30 p.m.
He faces charges of possessing a stolen vehicle, vandalism, and assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
Anyone with information about this investigation is urged by the sheriff’s department to contact the Victorville Sheriff’s Station at 760-241-2911 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at 760-956-5001.
Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 800-78CRIME (27463) or wetip.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Parolee at large identified as fleeing suspect who crashed on I-15
