Authorities Identify Man Fatally Shot after Leading Deputies on Pursuit

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – Authorities Tuesday identified a 44-year-old man who was shot dead Sunday morning after he led deputies on a pursuit from Yucca Valley to north of Palm Springs. The Riverside County coroner’s office identified the man as Antonio Garza of Joshua Tree. Deputies from the Morongo Basin sheriff’s station responded to Indio Avenue and Canterbury Street in Yucca Valley at 10:12 a.m. Sunday to a report of a box trailer fire, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department. Authorities said that when deputies arrived to the scene they attempted to contact a man they believed started the fire, but he fled and led deputies on a lengthy pursuit. "The pursuit lasted approximately 35 minutes and came to an end at the Whitewater Cutoff, north of the 10 Freeway in Palm Springs, when the suspect attempted to drive off the freeway and the vehicle became disabled," the San Bernardino sheriff’s department said in a statement. "A lethal force encounter occurred, and the suspect was hit by gunfire." The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department will investigate the lethal force encounter further, authorities said.