Colton police arrested a 34-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a child after a passing train struck his vehicle during a high-speed chase Thursday, authorities said.
Detectives identified Jesus Valencia Cruz as a suspect in lewd acts involving a child on Monday and obtained a warrant for his arrest, the Colton Police Department said in a news release.
On Thursday, around 4 p.m., detectives found him inside his vehicle parked on a street in Riverside, according to police. When they approached him, he fled at a high rate of speed, police said.
At one point, Cruz continued driving at a high speed and didn’t stop for a train passing at the intersection of Marlborough and Chicago avenues in Riverside, police said. His vehicle collided with the train and got stuck in the railroad tracks.
First responders with the Riverside Fire Department responded and managed to remove Cruz from inside his vehicle and took him to a nearby hospital, police said. Investigators later booked him into West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of lewd acts involving a child.
Anyone with information is urged by police to reach Colton Police Department Detective Jamie Ramirez at 909-370-5021. Anonymous tips can be submitted here on WeTip.com.