Lemoore vehicle theft results in high-speed chase into Fresno County, police get their men

On Tuesday, June 3 at about 1:45 a.m. Lemoore police officers were dispatched to a home on Oakdale Lane for a report of a stolen car. The victim said she could still hear her vehicle in the area because it had a loud muffler.

The vehicle, a blue Honda Civic with a primer engine hood, was spotted by a Lemoore police officer heading northbound on Highway 41 at Hanford-Armona Road. The vehicle had a loud muffler.

The officer pulled in behind the vehicle and immediately the driver sped up to 80 mph, and then 90 mph. The officer attempted to stop the speeding car as it approached Grangeville, but the driver refused to stop and instead increased his speed to about 105 mph.

A second Lemoore police officer joined the pursuit as the suspect exited Highway 41 at Excelsior Avenue and went westbound. The driver changed directions several times, driving north and then west on several rural surface streets, failing to stop for several stop signs.

Air support was requested and a California Highway Patrol airplane arrived within eight minutes and was able to maintain visual contact on the stolen vehicle while coordinating officers on the ground. The Lemoore officers terminated the pursuit when the suspect drove into a grape vineyard, creating too much dust for the officers to continue safely.

Officers in the airplane saw the suspects abandoned the vehicle in an orchard near Elkhorn Avenue and Marks Avenue in Fresno County and flee on foot. Fresno County deputies, CHP officers, and a Kings County K-9 deputy assisted the Lemoore police officers and a perimeter was set up around the area.

The driver, 22-year-old Julio Ybarra of Caruthers, was taken into custody about 30 minutes later. The passenger, 26-year-old George Rosario of Fresno, was taken into custody at about 5:00 a.m. by Fresno County deputies. Both suspects were turned over to the Lemoore officers.

The pursuit lasted about 14 minutes and covered about 16 miles. There were no other vehicles on the roads during this pursuit and nobody was injured.

Ybarra was booked at the Kings County Jail for vehicle theft, felony evading a police officer, possession of burglary tools, and conspiracy. His bail was set at $140,000. Rosario was booked at the Kings County Jail for vehicle theft and conspiracy. His bail was set at $100,000.