COARSEGOLD, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A commercial burglary turned pursuit led to four people behind bars this evening.
Shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office received a call for a service for an alarm at Pedal Forward Bikes & Adventure in Oakhurst, officials say.
According to officials, the alarm company reported two men with their faces covered inside the store stealing bicycles and loading them into a white van, which was gone once sheriffs arrived at the scene five minutes later.
Meanwhile, a deputy in the Coarsgold area spotted a white Ford E-350 van passing him traveling southbound on Highway 41. He attempted to initiate a traffic stop with the van, but the driver failed to yield, leading to an 11-mile pursuit. After deputies successfully deployed spike strips on Highway 41 and Highway 145, the van continued driving with flat tires, until crashing into an embankment near Madera Canal south of Avenue 15 according to the Madera County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say that after crashing, the four suspects fled the van and ran in separate directions. Three of the suspects were quickly caught by deputies, later identified as 62-year-old Orlan Doser, 58-year-old Earwin McCullar, and 57-year-old Manuel Tejeda, all out of Fresno.