A 23-year-old man suspected of dealing drugs out of his car and fleeing from Hemet police when they tried to detain him was being held Wednesday in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Justin J. Mitchell of Hemet was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of felony evading, resisting arrest, possession of narcotics for sale and driving under the influence of drugs.
According to Hemet police Lt. Nate Miller, witnesses allegedly encountered Mitchell sitting in his yellow Ford Mustang in the 200 block of South Sanderson Avenue, offering various drugs for sale, about 6:30 p.m.
Patrol officers were called to investigate, and when a unit arrived at the location, the suspect sped away in his sports car, Miller said.
“Hemet police officers briefly pursued the Mustang, but when the driver continued to accelerate and drive erratically, the officers terminated the pursuit in the interest of safety,” the lieutenant said.
He alleged that shortly after patrol units pulled back, Mitchell stopped in the eastbound lanes of West Florida Avenue and jumped out of the car. Officers quickly caught up to him and wrestled the allegedly combative suspect into custody, according to Miller.
No one was injured.
Mitchell has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
