A stolen vehicle suspect led Orange County sheriff’s deputies on a chase, then held them at bay for several hours Friday afternoon after the pursuit hit a dead end in San Clemente before being taken into custody.
Orange County sheriff’s deputies attempted to stop the driver of a stolen Cadillac Escalade about 1 p.m. in Laguna Hills, said Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun.
When the driver refused to stop, deputies chased him along Interstate 5 to the east end of Avenida Pico, where it dead ends near Christianitos Road, Braun said.
The suspect, in his 20s, brandished a gun in the vehicle several times after the standoff began, about 1:30 p.m., Braun said.
SWAT and crisis negotiation deputies attempted to establish contact with the suspect, Braun said.
The suspect barricaded himself for about five hours, and surrendered after SWAT team members used chemical agents, according the sheriff’s department.
He was taken into custody to be booked “for multiple criminal violations,” the department said.