Ceres Police officers assisted the California Highway Patrol in ending a 14-minute, 12-mile pursuit of two men in a vehicle stolen in Concord on Tuesday, May 23.

The CHP was in pursuit of a stolen white 2004 Acura Integra in the area of Yosemite and Lincoln avenues in Modesto. The pursuit made its way to Geer Road and Santa Fe Avenue under the watchful eyes of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department helicopter unit.

That day, Ceres Police Officers Julio Amador and Miguel Villalobos were assigned to work a patrol shift for the Sheriff's Office - specifically in Keyes and Hughson - covering while deputies attended a funeral for the passing of two employees.

At about 1:28 p.m. Officers Amador and Villalobos located the Acura in the area of Barnhart and Mountain View road after the CHP had terminated the pursuit. The Ceres officers engaged in another pursuit which had the driver failing to stop for stop signs and a red light at Golden State Boulevard and Keyes Road nearly causing a traffic collision. The Acura was driving on the wrong side of the road in the area of Rhode and Mitchell roads before entering northbound Highway 99 at speeds of up to 90 mph.

Near the downtown Modesto exit, the suspect vehicle made an intention and abrupt lane change in an attempt to evade police and nearly collided with a white Ford F-150.

Ceres Police Officer Ross Bays was the lead patrol unit in the pursuit and recognized the driver was becoming more reckless and was increasingly endangering the safety of the public, so he made the decision to attempt to disable the suspect vehicle by using a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT). The PIT maneuver successfully brought the car to a stop on Highway 99 south of the Kansas Avenue exit. During a high-risk car stop initiated by several Ceres and CHP officers, the driver and passenger were ordered out of the vehicle at gunpoint.

Driver Kevin Sovereen, 35, of Sonora, was arrested and charged with evading police, assault with a deadly weapon, auto theft, possession of stolen property, conspiracy, and possession of a concealed dirk or dagger. Sovereen also had numerous warrants for his arrest related to drug offenses and evading offenses out of Tuolumne County.

    Passenger Briton Brandstecurry, 25, of Jamestown, was also booked on numerous felony charges.

    IThe Acura was stolen on April 24 in Concord.