Local man jailed for Clovis police chase

Staff report

Last week’s car chase through city streets in Clovis registered speeds as high as 65 mph, according to an arrest report released Wednesday by the Clovis Police Department.

The report redacts the name of the party arrested, but report details match those supplied by CPD on Friday when officials said they’d arrested Leonel Lopez, 27, of Portales, on outstanding felony warrants. Lopez remained in the Curry County Adult Detention Center on Wednesday.

According to the report:

• Around 8:22 p.m. on June 16, Officer David Sandoval was patrolling around Seventh and Thornton streets when he noticed a spray-painted vehicle traveling on Seventh Street. The vehicle was recognized as one identified in a previous case of a drive-by shooting, and Sandoval gave chase.

• The vehicle gained speed while traveling west on Seventh Street and reached approximately 50 mph while making turns onto Cameo, Sixth, Hull, Fourth and Jones streets. At Hull Street, Officer Daniel Casarez joined the pursuit and took the lead.

• The chase continued on Grand and Lydia streets and L Casillas Boulevard before going to Davis, Grand and Seventh Streets. The chase reached speeds of up to 65 mph on Seventh before heading north on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

• The suspect’s vehicle went into an alley of the Clovis Apartments and through a courtyard, before heading through Cesar Chavez Avenue and speeding through multiple stop signs.

• The vehicle jumped a curb and sustained damage, and the driver left the vehicle in a field near Cortez Street. He was captured on foot by Sandoval and Casarez.

• A plain-sight look at the car indicated a shotgun in the back seat. After obtaining a warrant via electronic signature from District Judge Donna Mowrer, officers began a search at 11:25 p.m. and discovered the shotgun and a glass pipe with residue that initially tested positive for methamphetamine.

The CPD has not released documentation on the drive-by shooting addressed in the report.

The report did not say how long the chase lasted.

Police have not responded to questions regarding the incident.