NEEDLES, CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> A 26-year-old man from Phoenix, Arizona, was taken into custody after an alleged train burglary that led to a dangerous wrong-way pursuit on Interstate 40, authorities announced Tuesday.
On Monday, January 26, 2026, at approximately 3:30am, deputies from the Colorado River Station, assisting BNSF Railroad Police, attempted a traffic stop on a white van believed to be connected to a potential train robbery. The driver, later identified as Joan Moises Valdez-Acuna, 26, of Phoenix, AZ, failed to yield and led deputies on a westbound I‑40 pursuit while driving wrong-way in the eastbound lanes. The suspect abandoned the van and fled on foot into the desert but was quickly apprehended.
Valdez-Acuna was arrested for felony evading (CVC 2800.2A & 2800.4) and is in custody at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department with bail set at $300,000. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Deputy R. Goff, Colorado River Station, at (760) 326‑9200, or anonymously via We-Tip at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or www.wetip.com.
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