Two Palm Springs officers injured in pursuit out of hospital

The two Palm Springs Police officers who were injured when a car they were chasing Tuesday rammed into them and pinned them to another vehicle have both been released from the hospital.

The department said in a Facebook post that one of the officers, identified as Sgt. Nanez, had returned to work Wednesday. The second officer, who was not identified in the post, was released Wednesday night and described as being "on the road to recovery," although the department did not give specific details about that officer's condition or injuries.

Another officer continued the pursuit before the before the car eventually crashed near where the officers were injured. Its 15-year-old driver was then arrested on suspicion of assaulting the officers with the Camry and other charges.

Ivory Barnes, a 63-year-old Indio man who was a passenger in the car and fled it during the chase, was also arrested on multiple charges, including grand theft, vandalism and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Barnes' bail was set at $210,000. The 15-year-old was not given bail.

The chase began after police attempted to stop a Toyota Camry at around 10 p.m. Tuesday for an unspecified traffic violation near the intersection of Murray Canyon Drive and South Toledo Avenue, according to information posted online by the department. That intersection is near the Indian Canyons Golf Resort in far southwest Palm Springs.

Prior to stopping the vehicle, the officers had been patrolling the south end of the city after several reports of burglaries and thefts there in recent weeks. Palm Springs Police Officer Tamara Wadkins said Wednesday those incidents included car thefts, package thefts and the theft of items from vehicles.

The department said the Camry sped off when police attempted to stop it and the officers drove after it. They pursued the vehicle north on Toledo Avenue to La Verne Way. The chase then continued onto Sunrise Way and then eastbound on Mesquite Avenue.

Police said Wednesday that the Camry's driver ran stop signs and was "driving the wrong way at times." From Mesquite Avenue, the Camry then turned onto St. Thomas Circle, which is a cul-de-sac, with police pursuing behind it. The Camry then stopped in a driveway.

As officers tried to exit the patrol car, one person ran away out the passenger side of the Camry. The Camry's driver then backed it up at a "high rate of speed." The backing Camry rammed the officers' vehicle, pinning two exiting officers between the two vehicles, according to the department.

Police said the Camry hit both passenger doors of the patrol vehicle and the two officers, who had been attempting to exit from those doors, were stuck between the door and door frames. The two officers' heads shattered windows of the patrol and the interior of the rear passenger door sustained damage caused by one of the officer's legs. A third officer had remained in the car and was not injured.

Police said the Camry then sped off eastbound on Mesquite Avenue and another officer who had not been involved in the initial pursuit chased after it. That officer saw the Camry collide into what police described as "rock landscaping" on the northeast corner of Mesquite Avenue and Farrell Drive, just over 2 miles from where officers had first tried to stop the Camry.

The Camry's driver, who police said is a juvenile, then ran out of the car and jumped over the wall of the Mesquite County Club golf course, which is located at that intersection. In initial information published Tuesday, police said two people fled from the car at that point but clarified Wednesday that just the driver had.

Wadkins said both stages of the chase took a combined 3 minutes and reached about 70 to 80 mph.

Police then established a perimeter and a helicopter belonging to the San Bernardino County Sheriff was also used to search for suspects.

Police both the driver who fled at the golf course and passenger who had ran from the car in the golf course were found moments later.

After the chase ended, police found four stolen catalytic converters and a Sawzall inside the Camry.

Wadkins said that the department has not determined if Barnes and the 15-year-old are behind the thefts and burglaries in south Palm Springs that led police to the area.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the City of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and via email at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.

Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City. Reach her at ani.gasparyan@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Two Palm Springs officers injured in pursuit out of hospital