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Ceres man arrested for auto theft after pursuit
Esteban Godoy
Esteban Godoy

A pursuit of a driver in a stolen vehicle turned tense Friday evening when officers blocked in the suspect after he struck a chain-link fence and then backed into a patrol car.

Ceres Police conducted a high risk stop and were able to arrest Esteban Godoy, 41, of Ceres. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of stealing a vehicle, evading a police officer, possession of a stolen vehicle, assault with a deadly weapon, and a violation of his parole. 

The incident began at 10:41 p.m. when Officer Matthew Johnson was on patrol and learned that a black Chevy Tahoe driving northbound on Rose Avenue from Don Pedro Avenue was stolen from a Modesto owner. Officer Johnson followed the SUV until other units arrived now driving southbound on Mitchell Road near Service Road. Officer Johnson turned on his emergency lights and siren to conduct a traffic stop, but Godoy led him on a pursuit through several city streets, onto the freeway and back onto county roads.

Police set up spike strips near the intersection of S. Seventh Street and Morgan Road and the car ran over it, disabling the front right tire. The pursuit continued until it reached the 1500 block of Morgan Road, where it struck a chain-link fence. Several Ceres units pulled in behind the stolen vehicle, leaving space between the vehicles to conduct a high-risk traffic stop. However, Godoy put his vehicle in reverse and backed into an occupied Ceres Police vehicle, pushing it back several feet. Godoy put the SUV in drive and struck the fence again. When this happened, Ceres Police pinned the vehicle in place with their patrol vehicle.