Last Updated on January 19, 2021 by CCAR Staff
Investigators believe a man arrested on suspicion of burglary on Saturday, Jan. 16, is the driver who leaped from a stolen truck chased by police on New Year’s Eve, allowing it to collide in Menifee with a van driven by a woman who was left seriously injured.
Steven Allen Watson, 34, of Menifee, was taken into custody in Riverside and booked on suspicion of burglary, attempting to steal a motor vehicle and other crimes, Hemet Police Lt. Michael Arellano said. He is also suspected of recklessly evading arrest and causing major bodily harm in connection with a pursuit that ended with a crash on the 215 Freeway early Thursday, Dec. 31.
Investigators suspect Watson was behind the wheel of a stolen 1998 Dodge Ram pursued by Hemet police down Antelope Road that morning, Arellano said. The driver and a passenger leaped out of the truck south of Garbani Road. The pickup traveled through a barbed-wire fence, onto the freeway traveling the wrong direction and into the path of a van driven by Elizabeth Roberts, 55, of Lake Elsinore.
Watson is on probation after convictions that include receiving a stolen vehicle, evading arrest and possession of illegal drugs, Riverside County Superior Court records show. He also has active cases in which he is charged with felony hit and run, grand theft auto and receiving a stolen vehicle.
Roberts was hospitalized for more than a week after the crash with lungs that were punctured by a fractured rib, as well as a broken back, fingers and ankles. She has undergone multiple surgeries and is expected to recover.
Roberts’ partner, Nicole Apodaca, said Tuesday that Roberts has been moved to an acute rehab hospital.
“As far as the capture of the suspect, she is happy he was arrested but it’s disheartening that he was out on probation and has a history of crime. She hopes they prosecute him, that he is held accountable for his actions and that he isn’t allowed to cause someone else harm again,” Apodaca said.
The passenger of the stolen truck had not identified the driver, who police believe remained at large until Watson’s arrest in Riverside on Saturday. He was interviewed by Hemet police that evening.
“An investigator from our agency met with a Steven Watson at county jail to interview him regarding the details of the Hemet PD pursuit case,” Arellano wrote in an email. “He quickly invoked his rights and refused to give a statement regarding any of the details of of our case.”
Watson is scheduled to appear in court Thursday, Jan. 21.
