NorCal man pleads guilty in Fullerton carjacking that led to high-speed pursuit

A Fresno man pleaded guilty to a federal charge of carjacking on Thursday after he took a woman's car at knifepoint in Orange County last year and led authorities on a pursuit in which he hit a police car.

On June 14, 2023, 35-year-old Deshawn Ricks approached a woman inside a 2022 Mazda CX-5 SUV in a parking structure in downtown Fullerton, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.

Armed with a foot-long "pointed, serrated metal stake type object," Ricks threatened the woman and forced her from the vehicle, then apparently nearly hit her as he drove off, the release said.

Ten minutes later, Ricks was located in the stolen SUV, and so began a high-speed pursuit "in which he ran red lights, drove into oncoming traffic, and hit a marked police vehicle," authorities said.

"Later during the chase, when Ricks lost control of the speeding Mazda that then was struck by a police vehicle, he exited the SUV and fled on foot before officers apprehended him," the release explained.

Ricks is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, and he faces a maximum of 15 years in federal prison.