Palm Desert Police officers spotted a stolen vehicle Wednesday, October 8, 2014 in the early morning hours traveling in the area of Country Club and Portola. When the officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, the driver accelerated, managing to evade capture.
Twenty minutes after the pursuit, dispatch at the Rancho Mirage Police Department took a call regarding a single-vehicle collision in the area of Highway 111 and Country Club Drive. Officers at the scene determined that the car involved was the vehicle they had been pursing, but were still unable to locate a suspect.
Three hours later, around 6:20 am, another call came in reporting that there had been a “cat” burglary in the area of Vista Loma and Mirage Cove. While the victim had been sleeping, she reported that someone had stolen property from her home including a 2013 Mercedes. The victim’s Mercedes was equipped with LoJack vehicle tracking system, which was activated and officers used it to locate the vehicle.
The stolen Mercedes was quickly pinpointed in Cathedral City and was still occupied by the suspect. Once again, the suspect tried to evade arrest. Officers pursued and the vehicle was disabled at 30th Avenue and Rattler Road. The suspect attempted to flee on foot, but was captured. With assistance from the Cathedral City Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and officers from the Riverside Auto Theft Interdiction (RAID) Team, Kenneth Burns, 21 of Cathedral City, who already had an active no-bail parolee-at-large warrant and a felony drug warrant, was taken into custody.
Once the suspect was arrested, The Palm Desert Burglary Suppression Unit took over the investigation, determining that suspect Burns was also the driver of the first reported stolen vehicle. Evidence from the burglary was also recovered. Burns was arrested for first degree burglary, possession of stolen property, and two vehicle thefts, then booked into the Riverside County jail in Indio.
Read More:
Desert Sun: Kenneth Burns arrested in cat burglary
KESQ: Man arrested after stealing two cars
