Temecula Carjacking Suspect Arrested in 29 Palms

The suspect in a carjacking last month at Patricia H. Birdsall Park in Temecula has been arrested, police said Thursday.

After conducting extensive follow-up on the case, investigators, with the help of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, on Wednesday arrested suspect Brendan Dashon Finks, 18, approximately 120 miles away in 29 Palms, according to a news release written by Temecula police Sgt. Kevin McDonald.

Investigators allege that Finks, a Temecula resident, is the man whom at about 9:10 p.m. Oct. 14 carjacked a woman at knifepoint as she waited in the parking lot of the park to pick up her daughter from soccer practice.

Police said at the time that the suspect allegedly slid into the passenger side of her white 2013 Mazda SUV and brandished a knife.

“At knifepoint, he took the car and drove off,” Temecula police Sgt. Curt Harris said at the time, noting the victim was not injured during the ordeal.

The license plates of the vehicle were then entered as stolen into a law enforcement database.

At about 3:30 a.m. Oct. 15, “California Highway Patrol officers attempted to stop the victim’s car in 29 Palms, California,” McDonald said.

“The vehicle attempted to flee, but crashed after a short vehicle pursuit. The suspect fled on foot and was not apprehended at that time.”

The woman did not know the suspect but described him as a clean-shaven African American man between 20 and 25 years old and between 5 feet 6 and 5 feet 7 inches tall, police said at the time.

Culminating a near month-long investigation, the 5-foot-7-inch, Finks was being held on $60,000 bail at Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of felony carjacking, jail records showed Thursday morning. He is due in court Friday.

Anyone with additional information regarding the case was encouraged to contact Investigator Mejia at 951-696-3000.