DATE/TIME: March 21, 2023 / 3:07 p.m.
INCIDENT: Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Vandalism, Assault with a Deadly Weapon on a Peace Officer
LOCATION: Seventh Avenue and Green Tree Boulevard, Victorville
SUSPECT(S): Paul Thomas, 55-year-old Male Resident of San Bernardino
VICTIM(S): Confidential Male Resident of Los Angeles, and State of California
SUMMARY: On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at approximately 3:07 p.m., deputies from the Victorville Police Department located a stolen Jeep at a gas station in the 15000 block of Palmdale Road. The driver, later identified as Paul Thomas, exited the vehicle when deputies contacted him. When deputies attempted to take Thomas into custody, he failed to comply with commands, got back into his vehicle and used it to ram a police vehicle. Thomas drove eastbound on Palmdale Road taking the southbound onramp to Interstate 15 (I-15) where he rolled his vehicle across lanes of traffic. The vehicle came to a rest on I-15 between Palmdale Road and La Mesa Road. Thomas was partially ejected and pinned under the vehicle.
The Victorville Fire Department arrived to extricate Thomas from the vehicle. Mercy Air landed at the scene and transported Thomas to a trauma center. He remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition.
California Highway Patrol responded to handle the traffic collision investigation. The southbound lanes of I-15 remained closed until approximately 7:30 p.m. Thomas was found to be a parolee at large, considered armed and dangerous, with a felony no bail warrant issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He will be charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, vandalism, and assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
Anyone with information about this investigation is urged to contact the Victorville Police Department at (760) 241-2911 or Sheriff’s Dispatch at (760) 956-5001. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.
Refer: Tricia Blake, Media Relations
Station: Victorville Police Department
Phone No. (760) 241-2911
Case No. 172303543
SHANNON D. DICUS, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department
