DOWNTOWN — A man accused of leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle that ended with him jumping off the Santa Monica Pier was charged Tuesday with multiple felonies.
Prosecutors said Gerjuan Deshon Harmon, 27, is also suspected of burglarizing two UCLA dorm rooms prior to Saturday’s chase.
Harmon, who prosecutors said has several prior burglary convictions, was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and single counts of car theft and evading police.
Harmon pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon at the Airport Branch Courthouse in Los Angeles, and was ordered to return to court May 18 for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to proceed to trial.
Police received a call about a man driving drunk in West Los Angeles about 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Los Angeles Police Department’s Lt. Michael Burditt said.
The black 2010 Range Rover the suspect was driving was reported stolen April 19, he added.
As the pursuit wound through Beverly Hills, Harmon called 911 and spoke with Beverly Hills police, asking them why he was being followed and saying he was considering taking his own life, Burditt said.
The pursuit ended at the Santa Monica Pier, where Harmon got out of the vehicle then jumped from the pier onto the sand and water below, apparently in a suicide attempt, Burditt said.
Police eventually coaxed Harmon out of the water, and he was arrested at about 1:40 a.m. Sunday.