April 20, 2023 - Riverside County Sheriff’s Office officials report on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at about 4:05 p.m. deputies of the Lake Elsinore Station responded to a carjacking in the parking lot of a school campus located on the 32000 block of Riverside Drive in the City of Lake Elsinore.

The investigation revealed two males contacted a female as she sat in her vehicle at the location. One of the males gestured they were armed before forcefully removing the victim from her vehicle. The suspects then fled the location in her vehicle.

The vehicle was located by deputies of the Lake Matthews Station on the northbound 15 freeway. A short vehicle pursuit ensued before the suspects crashed in the area of the Interstate 15 and 91 Freeway.

The suspects were apprehended after a short foot pursuit. One of the suspects was identified as 19-year-old, Tevita Fifita. The other suspect is a juvenile whose identity will not be released. Both suspects are residents of Lake Elsinore.

It should be noted no one involved in this incident were students of the Lake Elsinore Unified School District. Fifita was booked at the Cois Byrd Detention Center and the juvenile was taken to juvenile hall.

Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact the Lake Elsinore Station at (951) 245-3300 or dispatch at (951) 776-1099.
Source: Riverside County Sheriff