On Monday, June 26th, 2023, at 4:51 pm, a Turlock Police officer near the intersection of S Berkeley Ave and Golf Rd, Turlock, observed a man driving a vehicle violate the California Vehicle Code, so he attempted to make a traffic stop on him.

Instead of stopping for the officer, the man accelerated away and a pursuit ensued.

The man drove southbound to the very end of Paulson Rd, where he continued southbound onto a dirt road and crossed into Merced County. The man continued on the dirt road until he reached a canal full of water, which he crashed into.

The pursuit only lasted about two minutes, covering a total distance of about a mile and half.

Within minutes, the vehicle was fully submerged in the water, however, the man was able to make it out prior to that and fled on foot into an orchard.

Additional units from the Turlock Police Department, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife arrived on scene within minutes, establishing a perimeter and beginning a search.

About an hour into the search, an officer spotted the man jump a fence and begin running. He made his way into an unknown structure where he was able to be taken into custody by officers and identified as Jose Teixeira, 30, of Turlock.

When officers had their dispatcher run Teixeira, they discovered that he had two felony bench warrants out of Tuolumne County. The first was a $50,000 one for failing to appear and committing a felony while on bail or release, while the second was a $75,000 one for driving or taking a vehicle without the consent of its owner, buying or receiving a stolen vehicle, and false personation. He was also discovered to have a suspended driver’s license and be on probation for buying or receiving a stolen vehicle and fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer by vehicle with disregard for the safety of persons or property.

American Medical Response arrived on scene a short time later and Teixeira refused transport or treatment by them, stating that he hadn’t been injured in the collision.

The California Highway Patrol then responded to actually handle the collision.

The vehicle was able to be removed from the canal by the Turlock Irrigation District using a crane.

The license plate on the vehicle was determined to not belong to it, however, neither it nor the vehicle itself had been reported. The San Jose Police Department attempted to contact the vehicle’s registered owner at his residence to determine if it was an unreported stolen or not, however, they were unsuccessful in their efforts.

Teixeira was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer by vehicle with disregard for the safety of persons or property, committing a felony while on bail or release, obstructing or resisting a public officer in the discharge of their duty, driving with a suspended driver’s license, tampering with a vehicle or its contents, and failing to drive upon the right half of the roadway, as well as his warrants.