Fight escalates into assault with a deadly weapon.
On 10/09/2011 at about 2:18 pm., the Hemet Police Dispatch Center received a call of a fight occurring in the 600 block of N. State St. The reporting party was able to provide a description of one of the involved subjects and remained on the phone with dispatch to provide updates. As officers were responding, the reporting party advised that one subject started walking away and may have been struck by a vehicle.
Officers arrived on scene to find a subject had been struck by a vehicle that was no longer at the scene. As the officers and medical personnel were providing aid and gathering preliminary information, an officer saw a subject riding a motorcycle recklessly through the area. The subject on the motorcycle matched the description of one of the subjects from the fight and was believed to have possibly been involved with the traffic collision. Officers attempted to stop the motorcycle and it fled the scene at a high rate of speed. A pursuit was initiated but was canceled after a few minutes due to the motorcycle rider’s reckless actions and due to the fact that one of the officers recognized the rider. The motorcycle rider was arrested a short time later near his home. While the officers were still on scene, the driver of the vehicle that struck the pedestrian called dispatch and was contacted by officers a short time later.
Further investigation revealed that the motorcycle rider and the pedestrian had been involved in a fight with a subject in a parking lot in the 600 block of N. State St. After the fight, the motorcycle rider and the pedestrian walked away east bound across State St. The subject they were fighting with got into his vehicle and intentionally ran over the pedestrian as he was crossing State St. He then left the scene and the motorcycle rider got onto his motorcycle to chase him. At about that time, officers arrived to see him riding away and gave chase.
Ultimately, the pedestrian was transported to a local hospital with non life threatening injuries, the driver of the vehicle was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, and the motorcycle rider was arrested for Criminal Threats and Felony Evasion.
Arrested:
Lucas Pinkerton, 19 years old, Hemet resident. – Criminal threats and felony evasion
Benjamin Mendoza, 44 years old, Hemet resident. – Assault with a deadly weapon.