When University Police Officer Roy Hill first put his lights on in pursuit of a blue Oldsmobile on Sunday night, he thought he would be making a routine stop for a blown red light.
Ten minutes later, after a two-mile car chase down Route 1 that ultimately ended in a crash, Hill arrested Miguel Angel Morales-Iraheta, 32, who had allegedly hijacked the car and abducted its female driver in the process.
He is being charged with robbery and theft of property under $10,000.
University Police spokesman Ken Leonard said Hill followed the speeding car after the driver ran a red light at the intersection of Route 1 and Paint Branch Parkway just before 8 p.m.
A car chase ensued after Morales-Iraheta failed to pull over. Leonard said Morales-Iraheta ran several more red lights before crashing into a Rhode Island Avenue curb nearly two miles away after he allegedly drove against traffic.
Once his airbags deployed, Morales-Iraheta was trapped inside the stolen vehicle and police were able to make an arrest, Leonard said.
Meanwhile, a woman unaffiliated with the university called University Police after she said a man abducted her and stole her car.
District 1 Commander Robert Liberati said the victim was getting gasat the 2300 block of University Boulevard in Hyattsville at about 7:45 p.m. Sunday. When she went inside to pay, Liberati said Morales-Iraheta snuck into her unlocked car and hid in the backseat. She drove some distance without noticing her intruder, he said.
Soon after, Morales-Iraheta allegedly grabbed the driver by the throat and told her to keep driving. Although she allegedly offered her belongings and the car if she was set free, Liberati said her requests were denied.
With the man’s arms around her neck, the victim drove northbound on Route 1 past Fraternity Row before breaking free, exiting the car and running to a nearby blue-light phone outside of a fraternity house for help. She was not injured during the alleged abduction.
Liberati said Morales-Iraheta then got into the driver’s seat and proceeded north. One block later, Hill was in pursuit.
“That was a really good job by the University of Maryland [Police],” Liberati said. “It’s classic — just pulling somebody over for a traffic violation and look what you got. I don’t think [Hill] had any idea when he was pulling him over … that he had just abducted somebody.”
Leonard also commended the swift pursuit of the stolen car, noting no collisions occurred and no property was damaged, aside from the stolen vehicle.
“[Hill’s] actions resulted in the arrest of an individual who had just abducted a woman and whose ultimate intentions are unknown,” Leonard wrote in a press release.
Morales-Iraheta, of no fixed address, has previously faced charges for first-degree rape, burglary, attempted robbery, false imprisonment and second-degree assault. He was convicted on the false imprisonment and assault charges, according to court records.
Montgomery County Police spokesperson Lucille Bauer said Morales-Iraheta will also be served an open warrant in Montgomery County for rape and sexual assault charges.
present at umdbk dot com
