On the evening of August 24, officers with the Ceres Police Department engaged in a high-speed pursuit that concluded with the apprehension of a suspect driving a reported stolen vehicle. The chase began when Officers Pulido and Carter, while on traffic enforcement duty near Moffett Road and Acorn Lane, observed a silver 2024 Toyota Camry ignore a stop sign. The driver, later identified as Aleigha Freitas, age 29, from Turlock, opted to not immediately comply with the officers and instead accelerated, initiating the chase through residential streets, as per Ceres Police Department.
According to the Ceres Police Department's Facebook post, the pursuit came to a close in the 1500 block of Lynley Drive. There, Freitas exited the vehicle to quickly attempt an escape on foot. Officer Pulido pursued closely behind and successfully caught up, leading to the surrender and subsequent arrest of Freitas without further incidents occurring.
The ongoing investigation uncovered that the Toyota Camry driven by Freitas had previously been reported stolen to the Hayward Police Department. Details about when the vehicle was taken or the circumstances under which it was stolen were not disclosed in the initial police statement.
After her capture, Freitas was transported to the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center where she was processed and booked. The report released by the Ceres Police Department underscored the felony nature of the alleged crimes but did not speculate publicly on the motives behind Freitas's decision to initially evade the police officers. The case remains under investigation as additional details are gathered to fully ascertain the events leading up to the pursuit.
