Driver In Stolen Box Truck Slams Into Concrete Divider During Wild Pursuit
SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA.com) — A man is in custody after leading police on a high-speed pursuit in a stolen box truck on the southbound Interstate 5 Monday morning.
The 45-minute chase began north of Santa Clarita around 9:30 a.m. when Los Angeles County Sheriff's Departmet deputies ran the license plate and discovered the truck was stolen. They said the vehicle belonged to a moving company based near Fresno.
The California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit as the truck traveling up to 80 mph weaved through traffic and came close to hitting other vehicles at times.
About half an hour into the chase, the 26-year-old suspect drove on the shoulder of the freeway and cut across a dirt median. He tried to get away by busting through a concrete barrier but failed.
"The concrete wall is about an 8-foot span that he pushed out on the number one lane on the transition road," CHP Officer Ryan Bejar said. "For him to enter where he is, he had nowhere to go."
The suspect immediately ran across traffic and into a residential neighborhood in Boyle Heights. After running a few hundred feet, the man stopped. He appeared exhausted and sat under a tree behind a parked SUV.
That was when CHP officers caught up with him and ordered him to put his hands up and lay on the ground. They arrested him without incident. The suspect was booked on suspicion of a stealing a vehicle, among other charges.
Surprisingly, the stolen moving truck sustained what appeared to be minor damage.