A 26-year-old man from Phoenix, Arizona, was taken into custody after an alleged train burglary\u00a0that led to a dangerous wrong-way pursuit on a Southern California interstate,\u00a0authorities announced Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The Jan. 26 incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. in Needles, the San Bernardino County Sheriff\u2019s Department said in a news release.<\/p>\n
Deputies with the department\u2019s Colorado River Sheriff\u2019s Station were\u00a0assisting\u00a0BSNF Railroad Police after receiving reports of a\u00a0possible\u00a0train\u00a0burglary and a suspect, now identified as Joan Moises Valdez-Acuna, fleeing the scene in a white van.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old\u00a0failed to\u00a0comply when deputies\u00a0attempted\u00a0a traffic stop and led them in a\u00a0chase westbound on Interstate 40.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the pursuit, the driver crossed over the center median and began traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes,\u201d\u00a0sheriff\u2019s\u00a0officials said<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cDeputies\u00a0paralleled the vehicle until the driver exited the van and fled on foot into the desert, leaving the vehicle in the eastbound lanes of I-40.\u201d<\/p>\n The van continued rolling and eventually came to a stop in the desert, officials added.<\/p>\n Woman, 64, dies after scuba diving off coast of Catalina Island <\/a><\/p>\n Valdez-Acuna was taken into custody after a foot pursuit with deputies and was booked at the Colorado River Station Jail for felony evading and wrong-way driving, the release noted. He is being held on\u00a0$300,000 bail.<\/p>\n Investigators did not provide information on whether any stolen property was recovered in the van.<\/p>\n The investigation\u00a0remains\u00a0ongoing\u00a0and anyone with information is asked to contact SBSD Deputy R. Goff at 760-326-9200. Those wishing to remain anonymous should contact the\u00a0WeTip\u00a0Hotline at 800-78-CRIME or leave tips online at\u00a0www.wetip.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n