West Covina police arrest domestic violence suspect after standoff, pursuit

A 45-year-old domestic violence suspect was in custody Wednesday after allegedly leading authorities on an hour-plus-long pursuit that resulted in a violent crash, and ended in a standoff with police in West Covina.

The pursuit began in West Covina just before 9 p.m. Tuesday as the suspect — later identified as Raul Sanchez of West Covina — allegedly led police on a chase that traversed at least four freeways at speeds that approached 90 to 95 mph in a light-colored Scion before moving to the eastbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway with West Covina Police Department officers in pursuit.

West Covina officers, who were the only police agency involved in the chase except for helicopter assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, attempted at least two maneuvers to slow the Scion down in Whittier on Telegraph Road but were unsuccessful.

The Scion sustained damage to its rear bumper due to the P.I.T maneuvers. The last police maneuver caused the Scion to hit a center median and a utility pole before the driver sped off.

When Sanchez returned to West Covina after a long drive on several freeways, police slammed into the Scion near Broadmoor and Workman avenues, forcing the vehicle to stop and crash into a white Kia Optima at approximately 11:10 p.m. Tuesday.

White smoke poured from under the hood of the Scion, but Sanchez remained in the vehicle for more than three hours before he was taken into custody.

A SWAT team and a K-9 unit were called to the scene when Sanchez refused to surrender. Officers fired less-than-lethal weapons into the Scion when he did not immediately surrender.

Sanchez was arrested around 2:30 a.m., according to a West Covina dispatcher. He was booked domestic battery, forced oral copulation, evading arrest and resisting officers, and his bail was set at $100,000.

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