Clovis man arrested after lengthy, high-speed chase

A Clovis man is in jail after leading authorities on a high-speed chase from Pinedale all the way to Tracy Monday morning, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said.

Ronald Castanon, 20, faces felony counts of robbery, burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a stolen vehicle, evading police, carjacking and committing a crime while out on bail.

Deputies were patrolling the Pinedale area at 12:45 a.m. when they spotted Castanon in a car. He was recently associated with a burglary, armed robbery and various assault with a deadly weapon cases, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Around 3:15 a.m., while deputies were coordinating with the Fresno Police Department and California Highway Patrol, Castanon realized authorities were after him and began to evade them, the Sheriff’s Office said. It wasn’t until he got onto Highway 99 from Herndon Avenue that authorities hit the lights and sirens to stop him.

Castanon increased his speed to 120 MPH and threw a gun out of the window of the Chevy Impala, the Sheriff’s Office said.

He eventually reached Interstate 5 and then Highway 580 south of Tracy where he ran out of gas. He abandoned the car on the highway and fled on foot. He left the car without its lights on and authorities had to push it off the road so it wouldn’t cause a crash.

Castanon attempted to carjack two different drivers but they didn’t allow him to gain access to their vehicles, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities eventually tracked him to a gravel plant near Highway 580 and Bird Road in Tracy. K9 units had to be deployed when he refused to surrender, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies recovered the stolen Impala and found methamphetamine inside. Detectives believe Castanon recently became involved in at least two armed robberies, a burglary and multiple instances of firing a gun at people.

Castanon was transported to San Joaquin General Hospital in French Camp for treatment of his injuries. Once released, he will be booked into jail, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Anyone with additional information on Castanon should call the Sheriff’s Office at 559-600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867.

This story was originally published October 5, 2015 at 10:04 PM with the headline "Clovis man arrested after lengthy, high-speed chase."