At 1022 hours, the Murrieta Police Department received another radio call of a purse snatch which just occurred outside the Target store at 41040 California Oaks Rd., Murrieta.  The victim was confronted by a male black in his 20’s while she was transferring her infant from the shopping cart to her vehicle.  While holding her child, the 29 year old female victim briefly left her purse in the shopping cart.  The suspect stole her purse and entered the passenger seat of a Black PT Cruiser which fled the parking lot.  Witnesses were able to obtain the license plate of the suspect vehicle and see the vehicle was driven by a female black adult.  This information was broadcast to nearby police units.

At approx. 1024 hours, Cpl. Don Weller spotted the suspect vehicle S/B on Hancock Ave south of California Oaks Rd.  The driver failed to stop for the officer when he activated his emergency lights and siren.  A vehicle pursuit began near Los Alamos Rd and Hancock Ave.  The chase continued S/B on the I-215 fwy to the S/B I-15 fwy.  The driver exited briefly at the Rancho California exit in Temecula and discarded the purse stolen at the Target store.  The purse was later recovered. The suspect vehicle approached speeds of 100 mph while attempting to evade pursuing police officers. 

Assistance was provided by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) from both the Temecula and Oceanside offices.  The pursuit continued into the Fallbrook area of San Diego County where the suspect vehicle exited on Rainbow Valley Blvd.  The pursuit continued to the dead-end of Rainbow Glen Rd. where the suspect vehicle turned around and intentionally crashed into the front driver’s side of a pursuing Murrieta police vehicle who attempted to avoid the collision.  The officer was not injured.  A CHP officer witnessed the driver’s actions and used a “PIT maneuver” with his vehicle to force an end to the pursuit.  Both suspects were taken into custody.

At the conclusion of the pursuit, a 3yr. old male infant was discovered in a car seat in the back seat of the suspect vehicle.  The infant was the son of both suspects who have a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.  The suspects’ child was turned over to the custody of Child Protective Services (CPS).    

The 85 year old victim from the attempted purse snatch was treated at a local hospital for her head injury and later released.  She was rehospitalized this afternoon when her injuries appeared to worsen after she was at home.