Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor ROSEMEAD – Calling Steppenwolf: A man claiming he needed a ride home after his friends ditched him allegedly stole a City of Santa Monica cart and decided to haul butt on the I-10 freeway July 3. Officers from the East Los Angeles California Highway Patrol Office responded to numerous calls of a golf cart doing 20 miles per hour on the east I-10 freeway west of the 710 freeway just before 5 a.m. The driver yielded after officers conducted a traffic stop, according to the CHP. Drivers reportedly had to swerve to avoid crashing into the utility vehicle. The driver ended on Columbia Street west of Del Mar Avenue. The cart, officers discovered, was a John Deere Utility Vehicle emblazoned with a City of Santa Monica seal, according to the CHP. “The driver stated his friends had ditched him and he needed a way to get home,” according to the CHP in a written statement. Ismael L. Fernandes, 27, was arrested and booked on suspicion of unlawful taking of a vehicle. Fernandes pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to appear in the Alhambra Courthouse January 12, 2023, according to Los Angeles Superior Court records. Fernandes was released July 13 on his own recognizance, according to Los Angeles County booking records. |
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