Photo by John Schreiber.
Photo by John Schreiber.

Four people were arrested after a chase that started in Laguna Hills and ended with a crash on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway Wednesday.

The pursuit of a white Audi SUV with paper plates started about 11 a.m. on Oso Parkway in Laguna Hills, wound through city streets and led onto the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway before the driver crashed  into another vehicle on the 5 freeway near Main Street about 11:25 a.m., according to California Highway Patrol Officer Denise Quesada.

Orange County Fire Authority firefighters freed a man and a dog from the vehicle that collided with the suspect’s vehicle, Quesada said.

Three people were taken to area hospitals, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Hurdle. The injuries were not considered life- threatening.

Two men and a woman in the car were arrested on the spot, but one man ran, jumped a wall and temporarily got away. He was, however, soon caught in a parking garage at the Westfield MainPlace shopping mall, Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock said.

The collision prompted authorities to close four lanes of the freeway for about an hour while firefighters freed the driver fromt the car the SUV struck.

A deputy tried to pull over the Audi, because he believed the people inside may have been involved in a burglary, Hallock said.

City News Service

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