A 21-year-old driver was detained Monday morning after a police chase through Puerto Vallarta ended in Verde Vallarta with damage to a municipal patrol vehicle.
The pursuit began around 8:25 a.m. near Avenida Ejército Mexicano and Carretera Federal 200, according to police report details published Monday. Officers said they saw a Ram 700 pickup with Jalisco plates moving at high speed and without lights.
Police in patrol unit PV-409 tried to stop the truck on Avenida Manuel Lepe. The driver did not stop, according to the report, and continued toward the inland side of the city.
Chase moved through inland Puerto Vallarta
The driver was identified in the police account as José Manuel “N,” age 21.
The chase continued near Avenida Las Palmas and Avenida México, two busy routes for traffic moving between neighborhoods, the highway, and the airport side of Puerto Vallarta. Police said the Ram 700 hit the front of patrol unit PV-409 during the pursuit.
A second local account citing the same police report said a Tránsito Municipal unit joined the response as the driver allegedly changed lanes and struck the patrol vehicle again.
The chase ended at Golondrina and Valle Alto in Verde Vallarta. Police said the driver got out, refused to provide documents, locked the vehicle, and threw the keys into nearby brush.
Driver held after alcohol test
The driver was taken to municipal holding cells. An alcohol test came back negative.
The police account said he later told the duty doctor he had consumed cannabis. That statement was included in the report, though authorities did not describe it as the basis for the detention.
The driver was placed before the appropriate authority. The case could be reviewed for possible damage to municipal property and disobedience to authority, based on the conduct described in the police report.
Puerto Vallarta has seen other recent police pursuits, including a May case in which police arrested robbery suspects after a chase.
