Suspect sought in high-speed chase in Merced
Merced police are searching for a 23-year-old woman who allegedly rammed a vehicle Thursday before leading officers on a 100-mph chase down Highway 99, the Police Department reported.
Corina Rodriguez has been named as a suspect in the early-morning pursuit. A police officer spotted two vehicles around 3 a.m. driving fast in the 1300 block of West 16th Street, and one of the vehicles rammed the other from behind, police said in a news release.
“If we locate this person, we’ll take them into custody,” Capt. Bimley West told the Merced Sun-Star.
Police described the incident as a possible domestic dispute that turned violent. Officers pursued one of the vehicles, believed to have been driven by Rodriguez, onto northbound Highway 99 at speeds that reached more than 100 mph, police said.
Officers contacted Rodriguez on her cellphone, but she refused to stop.
“Officers were able to confirm Rodriguez’ identity and due to her willful disregard for the public’s safety, the pursuit was terminated on Highway 99 near the Shanks Road exit,” police said in the statement.
Investigators said they plan to ask the District Attorney’s Office to charge Rodriguez with assault with a deadly weapon and evading police.
Anyone with any information regarding this crime is asked to contact Sgt. Robert Solis at 209-385-4703 or the Merced PD Tip Line at 209-385-4725. The public can send information via anonymous text messages to police by dialing 847411 and including the word “Comvip” as the keyword in the text message.
This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Suspect sought in high-speed chase in Merced."