On 10-25-2012 at about 7:15pm, Hemet Police responded to a call of an attempted carjacking which occurred near 900 E. Whittier Avenue. The victim stated she was driving down the street with her adult daughter and two grandchildren (10 and 4 years) in the vehicle. The victim noticed the rear door was not closed completely, so she pulled to the side of the road to close it.
At that time, a suspect suddenly reached through an open window, and grabbed the 10 year old child’s arm. The suspect demanded the victim give him the vehicle. Grandma accelerated away but the man hung on momentarily. The vehicle gained enough speed to outrun the suspect and the victims sped away. They then called the police.
Hemet Police Officer Gonzalez processed the vehicle for fingerprints, and an extensive area check was conducted both leading to negative results. The child was not injured, but all four occupants were shaken up.
A couple hours later, Officer Gonzalez, and two other Hemet officers responded to 1000 block of Lucerne Drive regarding a suspicious person jumping fences and climbing on roof tops in the area. Officers arrived on scene and saw a man jump from a roof into a back yard in the 1200 block of Leslie Drive. Several more officers arrived on scene and began a yard to yard search for the man. The suspect continued to run and was ultimately captured in the back yard of a home in the 1300 block of Leslie Drive.
Hemet Police Officer Jamie Gonzalez recognized that the man’s clothing closely matched the description of the carjacking suspect from earlier in the shift. Officer Gonzalez re-contacted the victims from the carjacking. The two adults positively identified the man as the same person who tried to carjack them a couple hours prior.
Arrested was Gregory Wendell Myers, a 24 year old resident of Hemet. He was charged with attempted carjacking, child abuse, child endangerment, violation of probation, and (2) misdemeanor warrants for shoplifting and DUI. Myers was transported to Southwest Jail and is being held with a bail of $65,000.00