By Gina Yarbrough
Carlsbad, CA–A carjacking suspect on parole was arrested Tuesday morning following a carjacking and high-speed pursuit that ended in a crash near a Carlsbad bus stop, authorities said.
The incident began around 7:46 a.m., when the Carlsbad Police Department received a “Be-On-the-Lookout” alert from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office for a silver Toyota RAV4 reportedly stolen in a carjacking. Authorities said the suspect, later identified as Kenneth Ash, of Oceanside, approached a driver, demanded she get out of the vehicle, and took it through fear and intimidation.
Using automated license plate readers, officers tracked the stolen vehicle as it entered Carlsbad. At 8:38 a.m., police attempted a traffic stop near La Costa Avenue and the Interstate 5 overpass. The driver initially slowed but then sped away, reaching more than 100 miles per hour and committing several traffic violations, according to the Carlsbad Police Department.
Officers called off the chase at 8:49 a.m. due to safety concerns. Minutes later, at about 9:05 a.m., sheriff’s deputies deployed spike strips that deflated a tire, allowing Carlsbad police to resume the pursuit.
Around 9:10 a.m., Ash allegedly sideswiped another occupied vehicle before losing control and crashing into a bus stop structure and a tree near Faraday Avenue. He then exited the vehicle and ignored commands, walking toward stopped cars in traffic. A police K9 was deployed and apprehended him, but authorities said he continued to resist.
One Carlsbad officer sustained a minor injury while attempting to secure Ash in a WRAP restraint device. No members of the public or police K9s were injured.
Ash, who was on parole at the time, was treated at a hospital before being booked into the Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of carjacking, felony evading, assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest, hit-and-run, and parole violation.
The case remains under investigation, and Carlsbad police are working with the Sheriff’s Office to gather additional evidence.
