Pursuit Of Stolen U-Haul Ends In Bellflower With Truck On Fire, Suspect In Custody

BELLFLOWER (CBSLA) – The male driver of a stolen U-Haul lead authorities on a two-hour pursuit that began in Orange County and made its way into Los Angeles County and back again Tuesday morning, traversing several area freeways in the process, before the U-Haul caught fire in Bellflower and the suspect was captured while trying to escape.

The pursuit began at around 4:50 a.m. when Buena Park police came upon a U-Haul towing a trailer which had been reported stolen out of Irvine back on May 5, according to Irvine police.

Buena Park police officers started the chase, which made its way from the westbound 91 Freeway to the northbound 605 Freeway, and then onto the westbound 60 Freeway. The chase then wound its way onto the northbound 5 Freeway in Pasadena.

California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit.

The suspect briefly exited the freeway in Los Feliz, and then jumped back onto the southbound 5 Freeway a little after 5:30 a.m. The U-Haul made its way south into Commerce in southeast L.A. County.

By 6 a.m., the chase has wound its way back onto the eastbound 91 Freeway in Cerritos.

The suspect made his way south into Anaheim, where he again briefly exited the freeway and then jumped back onto the westbound 91 Freeway. The suspect continued to drive despite hitting spike strips and losing both front wheels.

The front passenger tire caught fire at around 6:30 a.m., but the suspect refused to stop, continuing to move on the westbound 91 Freeway in Cerritos.

A little after 6:45 a.m. the entire cab caught fire in Bellflower. The suspect exited the freeway at Bellflower Boulevard, jumped out of the truck and tried to make a run for it.

He jumped fences, and took off a jacket and backpack, hiding them and before trying to get into a nearby apartment building.

"He asked me, if you let me come in your house, I'll give you a $1,000 right now, I just need to use a bathroom for 45 minutes," witness Katonya Gross told CBSLA. "I'm like, 'No, I'm not letting you in my house!'"

Another neighbor pretended to help, walking the suspect out before alerting officers to where he was.

"I didn't know the case, I didn't know the situation, I just knew, he was the culprit and he needed to get out of my apartments, that was pretty much it," witness Terrence Martin said.

A few minutes before 7 a.m., he was captured by CHP officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies a few blocks away.

Meanwhile, L.A. County Fire Department crews arrived and extinguished the U-Haul fire, but not before it had completely torched the cab.

The name of the suspect and the exact charges he faces were not confirmed. The items inside the U-Haul, which included a motorcycle, did not appear to have sustained damage.

"He's looking at multiple charges of felony evading, three stolen vehicles, which are all felonies, and I believe he had some drug paraphernalia as they were searching him," CHP Officer Marcos Iniguez said.

Police have not yet released the man's name, but said he is a 47-year-old resident of Orange County and was found with drug paraphernalia at the time of his arrest.

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