Police: Suspect in Menifee car chase was prison escapee

Officers inspect the damaged stolen vehicle that crashed into another car at the end of a police chase in Menifee. Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon

By Doug Spoon, Editor

A convicted felon who escaped from Folsom State Prison last month was apprehended by police Wednesday night after a high-speed chase that ended in a collision in Menifee.

Justin Franks, 27, was fleeing from police in a stolen white Ford F-150 pickup truck when he collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Antelope Road and Stillwater Drive about 5:45 p.m., authorities said. According to witnesses, officers approached the disabled truck with guns drawn and Franks was taken into custody with the help of a police K9. Franks was transported to a hospital with injuries from a dog bite. The driver of the other vehicle received minor injuries in the accident, said Sheriff's Deputy Robyn Flores.

Antelope Road was blocked off in front of the shopping center that includes Living Spaces and Ralphs market. Nearly two dozen police vehicles were at the location after pursuing the suspect following notification that he had been seen in the area.

Franks was turned over to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He was transported to the California Institution for Men in Chino and his case will be referred to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office for consideration of escape charges, according to a CDCR news release.

Franks escaped Dec. 22 from a minimum-security area of Folsom State Prison and had been the subject of a manhunt since then, the CDCR said. He was discovered missing during an inmate count that evening.

Convicted of first-degree burglary in San Bernardino County in July 2018, Franks received a three-year, fourth-month sentence, according to the CDCR. He was scheduled to be released in June.

A source close to the investigation told Menifee 24/7 that Franks is a transient who had been traveling between the San Bernardino area and Menifee. He has connections with someone in Menifee, the source said.

Witnesses at the scene moments after Franks' arrest told Menifee 24/7 that the truck sped past them heading south on Menifee Road, then raced west on Holland and north on Antelope past Mt. San Jacinto College. Moments later, with police in pursuit, the truck rear-ended another vehicle at the intersection on Antelope and Stillwater.

Photo of Justin Franks courtesy of CDCR