A Riverbank man was jailed on multiple charges following what police described as an unusual road rage incident late Halloween afternoon, Oct. 31, in Escalon.

Police Chief Anthony Hardgraves said Jose Flores-Duarte, 21, was booked into San Joaquin County Jail on charges including felony assault with a deadly weapon not a firearm, felony obstructing or resisting an executive officer, misdemeanor delaying or obstructing a public officer, misdemeanor hit and run property damage and misdemeanor reckless driving, among others.

The incident began shortly before 5:45 p.m. on Friday, when the CHP transferred a call to Escalon Police from a driver who reported being followed on Santa Fe into Escalon by a motorist who attempted to run them off the road. The victim also said at one point, the suspect got out of his vehicle when they were at a stop sign and walked toward the victim’s vehicle. The victim, with a passenger, was instructed to drive to the Escalon Police Department.

Flores-Duarte followed the victim in to the police department parking lot, off McHenry Avenue. Sergeant Nathaniel Vieira had gone to the parking lot to assist the victim, and had to get out of the way when the suspect drove his vehicle directly at the officer. Flores-Duarte then drove his car into the portion of the parking lot at the Police Department-City Hall complex set aside for RV parking and exited before he could be stopped by officers.

He then drove off, northbound on McHenry, and continued northbound until turning on to Magnolia Avenue, off Escalon-Bellota Road.

“No one was in pursuit at that time,” explained Chief Hardgraves, adding that it appeared as though the suspect wanted to get off the main road.

However, the abrupt turning movement on to Magnolia sent the Volkswagen Passat careening into a brick wall in front of a home on Magnolia, Hardgraves said, crashing through that and coming to rest against a pillar at the house. From there, Flores-Duarte fled the scene on foot.

Hardgraves said several agencies were called in to assist in the subsequent search, with Ripon Police Department, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department, the Modesto PD air unit and CHP out of Stockton all assisting.

After a brief search, Flores-Duarte was located.

“He was apprehended in the area of Campbell and Magnolia,” Hardgraves said.

He was checked out by medical personnel for some relatively minor injuries as a result of the car colliding with the wall, and then booked.

“It basically started in the county, came in to the city and then went back out in to the county,” Hardgraves added of the incident.

He said the victim indicated they did not know the suspect and were unsure why the suspect attempted to run them off the road. The initial contact between suspect and victim was in the area of Santa Fe and River, when Flores-Duarte got out of his vehicle and moved toward the victim.

In addition to Sgt. Vieira, Escalon personnel involved in the case included officers Gunter, Harrison, Reimann, Marapao and Kyes.

Flores-Duarte remained in custody on $250,000 bail at the San Joaquin County Jail in French Camp as of Nov. 5, with his next appearance in court set for Nov. 12.

The victims were not injured and the injuries to Flores-Duarte, said Hardgraves, were “not life threatening.”

The entire episode unfolded in just a few minutes, authorities added, from initial call to apprehension of the suspect.