On 10/30/13 at approximately 2:00
am, Calaveras Sheriff’s Deputies were patrolling the parking lot in front of
CVS Pharmacy in Valley Springs when they located a vehicle they felt was
suspicious. When they attempted to contact the vehicle and its occupants the
vehicle, a gray colored Toyota Celica, fled the parking lot at a high rate of
speed. The deputies gave chase and attempted to conduct a traffic stop for various
traffic offenses after it sped from the parking lot, headed westbound on
Highway 12. The suspect vehicle continued to increase its speed to 100 MPH,
drove in the oncoming lane and refused to stop. As the vehicle neared the San
Joaquin County line the deputies requested assistance from the San Joaquin
County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol. San Joaquin County
CHP officers engaged in and took over the pursuit, eventually stopping it
with spike strips on Highway 99. Two suspects fled the vehicle on foot, but
were soon captured. Upon searching the suspects’ vehicle the officers located two cash
drawers from a cash register and a handgun. One of the suspects was transported
to a San Joaquin County hospital for minor injuries sustained during the foot pursuit.
During the course of the pursuit
other Calaveras County Sheriff’s deputies responded to
the Valley Oak Shopping Center to
conduct security checks of the businesses, and found that Showtime Video had
been burglarized. The deputies also located numerous pieces of open mail
belonging to various people scattered on the ground in the parking lot.
The two suspects, identified as Luke
Martin Lahman (26) and Jason Robert Wright (21),
both from the Modesto area, were
booked into the Calaveras County Jail. Suspect
Lahman has an extensive criminal
history and was recently released from a California
Department of Corrections prison per
AB109. He is currently on Post Release
Community Supervision out of
Stanislaus County.
Calaveras County Sheriff’s
Detectives are conducting follow-up investigations into this
incident.
Charges:
Luke Lahman
: Penal Codes 29000(a)(1), 29815,
29825 (b), 29900 (a)(1), 25800 (a), 460,
594, 496, and 182; and Vehicle Codes
22450 (a) and 2800.2
Jason Wright:
Penal Codes 25800 (a), 29800 (a)(1),
460, 594, 496, and 182; Vehicle
Codes 22450 (a) and 2800.2 and
Health & Safety Code 11550