Two 19-year-old twin brothers and a third suspect are under arrest after a multi-city, two-county crime spree left two dead, according to an official press release from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
Ruslan and Roman Glukhoy, both 19, of Antelope, were reportedly arrested and charged with two counts of homicide, as well as other charges. Roman was reportedly booked into the Placer County Jail after completing an interview, and Ruslan was admitted to Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael.
The third suspect, Yuriy Merkushev, 21, was reportedly later arrested after hiding in Loomis.
Roman Glukhoy, Yuriy Merkushev, and Ruslan Glukhoy – Placer County mugshots.
According to Placer County Sheriff, at 5:10 am on Wednesday, April 2, Auburn police officers were checking on a suspicious vehicle with three male suspects inside that they believed was related to a series of burglaries in the area. As the officers attempted to make contact, the vehicle with the three suspects reportedly drove directly at the officers, committing an assault with a deadly weapon.
The officers were reportedly able to get out of the way, and a pursuit began. The pursuit reportedly entered westbound Interstate 80, and the suspects exited at Horseshoe Bar Road in Loomis, crashing their vehicle at the end of the off-ramp. The suspects then reportedly ran into the nearby neighborhood.
Placer County Sheriff says some of the suspects entered an occupied home on Becky Way and stole the keys to a Ford F-150 truck. The home’s occupants reportedly did not see the suspects until they saw them driving away in their truck. Two of the male suspects — later identified as Ruslan and Roman Glukhoy — drove the stolen Ford F-150 back onto I-80 and the pursuit began again.
The Glukhoy twin brothers were from Mira Loma High School. (Facebook)
The pursuit continued back onto westbound I-80, with the suspects reportedly driving erratically and at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The suspects exited at Antelope Road and were driving so fast deputies reportedly lost sight of them for a time. As the suspects approached Antelope North Road, they reportedly struck a sedan that had turned left in front of them. The car was occupied by an adult male and juvenile female, who both died instantly. The man was later identified as Jose Luis Barriga-Tovar of Antelope, who was with his 14-year-old daughter, Anahi Tovar.
Deputies continued to then chase the two suspects, who reportedly jumped fences and ran through the backyards of homes. Roman was reportedly apprehended right away, and a Placer County Sheriff’s deputy sustained a broken hand while making the arrest. Ruslan was reportedly captured a short time later hiding in a nearby backyard, and he was arrested after being subdued by a Sacramento County K-9.
Two of them, Roman Glukhoy and Yuriy Merkushev. will be arraigned tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the Placer County Jail courtroom.
Glukhoy is being held without bail, and he also had a no-bail warrant out of Sacramento County. Merkushev’s bail is set at $15,000. Ruslan Glukhoy is being discharged from Mercy San Juan Hospital in Carmichael, where he was treated for injuries sustained in the crash. He will be transported to the Placer County Jail and be booked.
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