Police Chase Involving Woman Driving RV Ends in Standoff, Causes I-10 Closure

DESERT CENTER, CA – A woman accused of leading police on a 70-mile chase in a recreational vehicle, then refusing to surrender and forcing a full closure of Interstate 10 near Chiriaco Summit for several hours, was jailed today in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday, a caller reported that a 2003 Gulf Stream motor home was being driven erratically on eastbound Interstate 10 in Cabazon, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Radford.

He said the driver, Imelda Sortino, 53, of San Diego, failed to stop when a CHP officer attempted to pull over the RV west of State Route 62.

A pursuit ensued, prompting the CHP to put down a spike strip on eastbound I-10, east of Dillon Road, which blew out several of the RV's tires, Radford said.

The disabled motor home came to a stop in the right lane, west of Eagle Mountain Road, but the driver refused to emerge, even after officers tried different "tactics" to force her to surrender, according to the CHP.
The standoff prompted officials to close the freeway in both directions, with no detour available for motorists, at 10:39 a.m.

The closure lasted for several hours, backing up traffic for miles in both directions.

Officers eventually entered the RV and took Sortino into custody, Radford said. She was not injured during the confrontation, and was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving and evading police and booked into the Indio jail, he said.

A motive was unclear, but drugs or alcohol were not considered factors, he said.

The interstate reopened in both directions by 1:42 p.m.

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