Man who led authorities on wild pursuit from OC to LA faces 25 charges

A Riverside County man faces more than two dozen charges in connection to a wild pursuit where he led local law enforcement from Orange County to Los Angeles, leaving a scene of chaos and wreckage in his wake.

The chase began in Fullerton at around 6:45 p.m. on Nov. 9, continuing for more than an hour as the suspect plowed his way through the Southland, ending up in Whittier, where he was later arrested. 

Johnny Anchondo, 33, of Moreno Valley was taken into custody following the incident. In the days after his arrest, it was revealed that he has 18 previous charges and was on parole.

After the pursuit began, the suspect drove into an apartment complex in Anaheim, where he stole a white van belonging to John Reynolds, who used the vehicle for his food delivery service company. He used that van to repeatedly ram a police vehicle until he could flee from the area

He then continued the pursuit, erratically driving through surface streets, on the wrong side of the road and even on the sidewalk - sometimes reaching speeds up to 100 miles per hour. 

Eventually, that car lost one of its rear tires, causing sparks to fly and smoke to billow through the air as he continued to hold the gas pedal down. 

Anchondo then ditched the van, running on foot into a Whittier neighborhood, where he would break into a home and steal the keys to the Benitez family's work truck. Despite their efforts to stop him from stealing the vehicle, he took off with yet another stolen car, once again prompting authorities to give pursuit. 

As he pulled out of the cul-de-sac, he nearly collided with several law enforcement vehicles blocking him in. 

He led them through surface streets yet again, for approximately another 40 minutes before he ended up at a gas station in Hacienda Heights, where he again reversed into law enforcement, this time Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department squad cars. 

A brief standoff ensued, as Anchondo once again held the gas pedal down, causing smoke to fill the air. 

LASD deputies opened fire as he sat inside of the stolen truck, refusing to comply with their demands to exit. He was unharmed by the gunfire. 

Now, after leading authorities on one of the most memorable pursuits in recent years, causing thousands of dollars in damage, Anchondo faces 25 different charges from the Orange County District Attorney.

He faces: 

• one felony count of carjacking, 
• one felony count of first-degree burglary,
• eight felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon not a firearm on a peace officer,
• one felony count of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm,
• two felony counts of theft with a prior felony conviction of taking of a vehicle,
• one felony count of evading a peace officer/reckless driving,
• one felony count of resisting an executive officer,
• three felony counts of vandalism with damage of $400 or more,
• three misdemeanor counts of hit and run with property damage,
• one misdemeanor counts of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic,
• one misdemeanor count of brandishing a weapon,
• one misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance,
• one misdemeanor count of possession of controlled substance paraphernalia.
  

If convicted of all charges, Anchondo could face up to 54 years in prison.

"The victims in this case can rest assured that the Orange County District Attorney's Office will do everything in its power to hold this dangerous individual accountable for the dozens of crimes he committed across two different counties," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "It is only by the grace of God that an innocent person wasn't seriously injured or killed by someone who was hell bent on doing whatever he could to try to escape, including stealing multiple vehicles and assaulting numerous law enforcement officers."