Suspect wanted for assault on officer is in custody after bizarre chase from Inland Empire to Orange County
ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspect who was wanted for assault with a deadly weapon on an officer is now in custody after leading authorities on a wild and bizarre chase from the Inland Empire to Orange County on Friday.
When Moreno Valley deputies made contact with the suspect over the felony warrant, the suspect fled and the pursuit began, officials said, adding that the man was considered "armed and dangerous."
The pursuit, involving a Jeep Commander, was in the Rancho Cucamonga area on the 15 Freeway before getting off on 4th Street near the Ontario Mills mall in Ontario.
After circling around surface streets, the suspect then got onto the westbound 60 Freeway.
The driver got onto surface streets in the Chino area, at times driving on the shoulder and wrong side of the road.
A female passenger then got out of the SUV near Ramona Avenue and Roosevelt Street in the middle of a Chino neighborhood, where the driver continued on.
The SUV went under a freeway overpass, drove on a dirt road and over train tracks before making his way onto Walnut Avenue, still in Chino.
Not long after, a person's hand was seen outside of the front passenger's window, leading authorities to believe at least two people were inside the Jeep.
The suspect made his way back onto the eastbound 60 Freeway, traveling at speeds of about 80 mph, with patrol units close behind.
The chase continued onto the Diamond Bar area in the wide-open 60 Freeway, where the suspect began going westbound. As the suspect dropped speeds to about 40 to 50 mph, he made his way onto the southbound 57 Freeway, heading toward Orange County.
The California Highway Patrol became the primary agency following the suspect, who passed through the Brea, Fullerton and Placentia areas while still traveling through wide-open lanes.
The suspect then headed eastbound on the 91 Freeway in the Old Town Placentia area, which was packed with traffic. The driver tried to weave through the vehicles by driving on the shoulder at speeds of about 50 mph.
The SUV then made a U-turn and drove the wrong way on an on-ramp on the 91 Freeway. The suspect then got off on the on-ramp on Glassell Street, where the front passenger, another female, jumped off as the SUV continued. It appeared the woman got hit in the head with the passenger door as the driver fled.
The SUV continued at about 50 mph on dark surface streets in Anaheim -- with the SUV's lights off.
At speeds under 20 mph, and now with his lights on, the Jeep appeared to run out of gas and struggled to get through State College Boulevard. The driver then waved both of his arms out of the window, appearing to surrender to authorities.
The Jeep finally came to a stop at the intersection of State College and Cerritos Avenue, where the driver stepped out of the Jeep without incident and was taken into custody.
