Botched pot deal leads to street fight, police chase

A pot deal gone violently bad ended with the arrest of two suspects, and the escape of a third, in a police action that closed West Aqua Caliente Road on Sunday afternoon.

At about 3:15 p.m. deputies were dispatched to reports of a man with a gun in the 400 block of W. Agua Caliente Rd, where a weed deal had been arranged via Snapchat. The would-be seller gave the marijuana to a suspect, later identified as Guillermo Hurtado, 18, Sonoma, and demanded payment. 

Hurtado, accompanied by two males, refused, and showed a handgun tucked into his waistband, according to the sheriff’s report. A fight broke out, spilling into the street. The gun was not fired, but the victim was punched, kicked, and hit in the back of the head with a gun. 

Breaking off the fight, Hurtado drove away in a Toyota Prius. The other two suspects ran away on foot. One of them, a 16-year-old on probation, ran to his nearby residence, where he was soon found. But after questioning at the sheriff’s sub station, the suspect “became argumentative when the deputy tried to place handcuffs on him, pulled away from his grasp, and jumped over the fence.”

A search that included the department helicopter was deployed. Deputies determined the suspect was in a random house in the 19000 block of Quigley Lane in El Verano. The 16-year-old suspect hiding under a bed in an RV. He emerged after being ordered out multiple times, and was arrested. He was booked at juvenile hall on charges of felony robbery, felony conspiracy, and two escape charges.

Meanwhile Hutado’s vehicle was spotted and pulled over. He was booked into County jail without incident for felony robbery and conspiracy.  Bail was set at $100,000 bail.  

The third suspect for now remains at large.