A 32-year-old probationer accused of leading Hemet police on a brief car chase after accelerating up and down a residential street was charged Thursday with felony evading.
Steven Andrew Alvarez of Hemet has been held in lieu of $100,000 bail since his arrest on Tuesday and was slated to make his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon at the Banning Justice Center.
According to Hemet police Lt. Nathan Miller, the defendant allegedly started running his blue Honda Civic through high-speed laps in the 2800 block of Cindy Lane, near Gibbel Park, about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, waking residents as he spun out going back and forth in the one-block space.
The noise prompted 911 calls, and patrol officers converged on the location minutes later, Miller said.
“When officers arrived, the driver was still driving recklessly and did not stop when officers activated their lights and sirens,” the lieutenant said. “The driver, Alvarez, went hard for about two miles at speeds exceeding 60 mph.”
At the intersection of Florida and Sanderson avenues, the defendant stopped his car, at which point he was taken into custody without further incident, according to Miller. No one was injured.
According to court records, Alvarez has a prior misdemeanor conviction for obstructing a peace officer.
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