Cops use Lojack auto alert to track stolen Escalade

OCEANSIDE — Three young men accumulated a range of charges after trying to flee from Oceanside police early Wednesday morning, when a Lojack auto alert led authorities to a stolen 2002 Cadillac Escalade.

Lojack Used - Stolen Car Found

The vehicle had been reported stolen from nearby Carlsbad about an hour before police located it traveling north on Sunset Drive. The suspects tried to evade police and a short pursuit lasted several minutes until the driver, Bradlee Davis, 22, of Oceanside, stopped the car near Lake Boulevard east of Skyhaven.

“At one point the suspect drove for a short time on the wrong side of the road,” said Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Mata.

The SUV’s four occupants fled on foot immediately following the police chase, and one male suspect had not been located as of late Thursday afternoon, according to Mata.

The three other occupants, Davis, James Holder, 21, also from Oceanside, and Julienne Fernandez, 21, of San Marcos were booked into the Vista Detention Facility.

The men were each charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property and conspiracy.

“Basically, they worked in concert to commit a crime,” Mata said, after being asked to explain the conspiracy charges.

Davis faces additional charges of auto theft and felony evading that stem from being the alleged driver of the stolen vehicle.

The Escalade’s owner, an Arizona resident, was visiting Carlsbad when the vehicle was reported missing.

After police located the vehicle, they also found stolen property from a string of car burglaries that occurred the night before in San Clemente, Vista and Carlsbad, Mata said.

No injuries were reported and Mata said the Escalade had suffered only minor damage.