Carjacking, Pursuit Suspect Identified As 29-Year-Old Parolee
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A carjacking suspect who led police on a high-speed chase across the Southland has been identified as a 29-year-old parolee, authorities said Tuesday.
Aaron Lorta was stable at County-USC Medical Center with gunshot wounds after a pursuit that began in Boyle Heights and ended in Montebello on Monday evening.
The chase began when police spotted a stolen vehicle around 5:15 p.m. traveling between 50 and 60 mph on surface streets.
Officers attempted to pull Lorta over, but he led police onto surface streets in South Gate, where Lorta was involved in at least five crashes, before eventually losing control of the car and fleeing on foot, the LAPD said.
He then allegedly pulled out a weapon and carjacked a 22-year-old woman at Garfield Avenue and Imperial Highway.
Lorta led officers onto the 710 and 60 freeways and back onto surface streets in Montebello, where his vehicle became wedged between two cars in heavy traffic and he fled on foot.
The chase came to an end around 5:50 p.m. when as many as three officers opened fire and wounded the suspect.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck praised how officers handled the situation during a press conference Tuesday.
"The officers did what we expect them to do. You know, as they got more information, found out the subject was armed, they ramped up the number of units in pursuit and made direct contact. They did what they had to do to protect people's lives," he said.
Records show Lorta, who was arrested for felony carjacking, has had 12 previous arrests since 2007. Of those, 11 arrests were for misdemeanors, including: domestic battery, vandalism, taking a car without permission, resisting arrest, trespassing and spousal abuse.
In May 2013, he was convicted for robbery. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and released after 11. A spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says Lorta served his full term as defined by law due to earned credit.
Lorta was paroled in June 2014 and was wanted for violating his parole the following month.
