LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Police say a man in a stolen vehicle led them on a chase and crashed twice while trying to flee from them in Lancaster City.
Carlos Rodriguez, 19, of Paradise, is facing multiple charges after being identified by police as the driver of the stolen vehicle. His charges include fleeing/eluding police, receiving stolen property, and accidents involving death or personal injury while not properly licensed.
On May 5, around 11:45 p.m., an officer on patrol in southeast Lancaster checked the registration on a blue Toyota Sienna. Dispatch informed the officer that the vehicle had been reported stolen to state police.
The officer requested backup to help with attempting a traffic stop. Police say as the Sienna approached the intersection of South Mulberry and West Mifflin Streets, Rodriguez accelerated, ran a stop sign, and continued onto the 400 block of High Street.
Rodriguez failed to stop when the officer turned on his emergency lights and siren, according to police. The stolen vehicle then ran the stop sign at High and East Filbert Streets and caused a crash with an occupied vehicle that had been traveling on East Filbert Street, police say.
Police say the officer stopped at the crash scene to help the driver of the other vehicle, while Rodriguez continued west on High Street.
The injured driver from the crash was taken to the hospital for treatment and observation.
Police say Rodriguez crashed the stolen vehicle a second time at the intersection of High and New Dowart Streets, finally coming to a rest on the sidewalk of High Street. Rodriguez and a passenger then fled from the vehicle on foot.
According to the police investigation, Rodriguez also caused damage to multiple parked, unoccupied vehicles on High Street.
During their investigation police learned that Rodriguez was the driver and that his passenger was a teen from Lancaster City. Police found the juvenile and he was taken into custody and later released to the custody of a parent. He is being charged with receiving stolen property.
Police say Rodriguez is also a suspect in a separate stolen vehicle investigation from April.
Detectives also received unconfirmed information that there may have been a second teen passenger that fled from the crash scene on High Street.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Rodriguez. Anyone with information on the incident or location of Rodriguez is asked to contact Lancaster Bureau of Police at 717-735-3301 or Lancaster Crime Stoppers at (800) 322-1913.
