They were running from Chowchilla police, officers say. They were done in by a curb

Chowchilla police arrested two men inside of a stolen van full of “burglary tools,” officers said on Monday

Officers on patrol saw a black SUV Monday morning that fit the description of a vehicle stolen in Chowchilla during the weekend, police said. While checking the license plate, officers found the plates belonged to a car of a different make and model.

Officers tried to pull the SUV over but the men fled, police said, in the area of Merle L. Fuller Elementary School. The driver failed to stop at stop signs and traveled at an unsafe speed in the school zone, police said.

The driver tried to jump a curb in the 100 block of North 11th Street, police said, but the SUV was disabled after hitting the curb. One man was caught immediately and the other was found a short time later, police said.

The men were identified by police as Chowchilla residents, Austin Esteves, 22, and Jayci Davis, 24. It was not immediately clear which man was driving.

Inside the car, police said, were burglary tools and stolen property. Both Esteves and Davis were booked into Madera County Jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property, possession of burglary tools and resisting arrest, according to police.

Their bail amounts were not immediately available.

“The Chowchilla Police Department knows and has policies regarding pursuits and the inherent danger they pose to the members of our community,” police said in a Facebook post. “While pursuing close to one of the local elementary schools, officers made the decision to continue pursuit of the vehicle after observing all of the factors which include but are not limited to weather, traffic, road conditions, time of day, pedestrian traffic and multiple other factors.”

This story was originally published August 28, 2017 at 8:05 PM with the headline "They were running from Chowchilla police, officers say. They were done in by a curb."