DAVIS – A 26-year-old Fair Oaks man led police Wednesday morning on a high-speed chase from Davis to Fairfield with young children inside a stolen vehicle, Davis police said.
Paul Leyva was booked into the Yolo County jail on several felony charges that included driving a stolen vehicle, possessing stolen property, evading police without regard, endangering a child and kidnapping. He is also a parolee at large from Santa Clara County.
Leyva's girlfriend and his grandmother were also inside the vehicle during the pursuit. The children, ages 3 and 4, belong to his girlfriend.
Sgt. John Wilson said the passengers asked him to stop during the pursuit, but he refused.
"He took them a significant distance against their will," Wilson said.
A Davis police officer spotted Leyva driving the vehicle about 10:40 a.m. on Richards Boulevard heading toward westbound Interstate 80. A check on the license plate showed the vehicle was stolen July 11 in San Jose. The officer followed Leyva onto the highway as he waited for a backup unit to join him.
The officers tried to stop Leyva just outside of Davis when he took off, leading them on a chase that at times reached speeds of 100 mph.
Wilson said the officers backed off near Meridian Avenue in Vacaville and turned the chase over to the California Highway Patrol.
Leyva eventually pulled over to the right shoulder on the highway in Fairfield and was taken into custody without incident, police said.
– Chelsea Phua
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