A 33-year-old man was arrested after allegedly carjacking a vehicle and kidnapping the driver at knifepoint in Riverside on Sunday, and his companion was taken into custody for an unrelated warrant.
Around 9:10 a.m. Sunday, deputies from the Cabazon substation of the Riverside Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of a stolen vehicle at the intersection of Haugen-Lehman Way and Tamarack Road in Whitewater.
They located the Nissan Altima and attempted a traffic stop but the driver failed to yield, initiating a pursuit on the eastbound 10 Freeway toward Palm Springs.
The pursuit was discontinued due to dangerous driving. However, officers from the Palm Springs Police Department located the vehicle a short time later on Indian Canyon Road north of Tramview Road.
The two occupants in the suspect vehicle fled and were ultimately taken into custody, according to the sheriff’s office.
The driver was identified as Steven Mata, a resident of San Diego, and the passenger as 24-year-old Claudia Ruelas, a resident of Riverside.
After further investigation, deputies came to the conclusion that Mata stole the vehicle at knifepoint in the Calimesa area, but the victim managed to escape in the Banning area and reported the crime to local law enforcement.
Mata was booked at the Smith Correctional Facility for carjacking, kidnapping, felony evading and possession of a stolen vehicle. It was unclear if a knife was recovered.
Ruelas, who was not involved in the theft was cited for an unrelated warrant and released, according to the sheriff’s office.
Anyone with information regarding the investigation was asked to contact Deputy Lee at (951) 922-7100.
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