An Antelope Valley judge gave a defendant a second chance at a diversionary program in connection with his arrest near a Soledad Canyon Road trailhead following a pursuit on Jan. 30, 2025.
Kevin Alexis Duran, 26, of Palmdale, pleaded no contest March 17 to a pair of charges: reckless evasion from law enforcement and the allegation that he was on bail or probation when it occurred; and assault with a deadly weapon, not a gun.
“The defendant is assessed by the treatment liaison, and the recommendation is of residential drug treatment through Salvation Army located in Canoga Park,” according to the March 17 minute order for the case. “The parties have reached a disposition agreement wherein the defendant will complete a minimum one-year treatment program to earn a dismissal of (the assault charge) and the prior strike and a sentence of formal probation or summary probation as to (the reckless evasion) charge.”
Duran was arrested due to an incident that was captured on the dashboard camera from the California Highway Patrol officers who pursued him in January 2025.
Carlos Burgos-Lopez, spokesman for the Newhall area’s CHP office, said the Ford Bronco that Duran was driving was part of a stolen-vehicle investigation.
Footage later verified by CHP officials shows officers pulled up behind a Bronco in the parking lot and parked behind it before giving instructions to the driver. The Bronco is seen in the video reversing into the CHP officer’s vehicle multiple times before driving off in what officers later said was a pursuit that reached speeds in excess of 100 mph.
Officers later managed to stop the vehicle using the Precision Immobilization Technique, or PIT maneuver, on the Bronco, according to information released with the video online.
Eight days prior to the filing of the plea agreement, Judge Denise McLaughlin-Bennett ordered Duran to submit a handwritten letter “addressing the negative incident he engaged in while in custody and the reason why he believes he should be accepted into treatment court,” according to the March 9 minute order. He was previously in the START program, which stands for Skills and Training to Achieve Readiness for Tomorrow.
“Once admitted to the program, the defendant is to remain in and successfully complete the program for a minimum of one year and for the entire recommended time; the defendant must successfully complete both phase one and phase two of the program; comply with all program terms, conditions, rules and policies. If the defendant leaves or is discharged from the program prior to successful completion, the defendant is to report to court on the next day the court is in session,” according to the order.
