Stolen vehicle’s GPS leads police to chop shop in Jurupa Valley

News headline from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department:

At around 6:45 a.m. on July 8th, deputies from the Jurupa Valley Sheriff’s Station responded to the 10800 block of Windsor Place in Jurupa Valley to assist the Upland Police Department in regards to a report of a stolen vehicle. The stolen vehicle’s GPS tracking system placed the vehicle at that location.

Deputies found the stolen vehicle at the address. While attempting contact with subjects near the stolen vehicle, two of the four subjects ran off. Deputies detained the remaining two. After a thorough search of the area, deputies were unable to locate the two that ran off.

Further investigation revealed a “chop shop” being run at the residence. A total of six vehicles were confirmed as stolen, including two Chevrolet service trucks and four Honda Accords. Three additional vehicles were being further investigated to confirm the possibility of them being unreported stolen vehicles.

Riverside County’s Autotheft Interdiction Detail (RAID) task force members, and Upland P.D. responded to the scene for further investigation. Additionally, Upland P.D. took possession of one of the Chevrolet trucks and two of the Honda’s with a possible connection to a fatal hit-and-run in Upland the previous night.

The two detained suspects (pictured below, left to right) were identified as Rudy Jose Ballard, 40, and Christopher Hernandez, 21, both of Jurupa Valley. Both were arrested for vehicle theft and possession of stolen property.

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