A male suspect in a stolen taxi was in custody early Friday after a four-hour pursuit that began in Santa Ana and ended in Lancaster.
The unidentified suspect was taken into custody about 3:10 a.m. on the southbound lanes of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway near Avenue D north of Lancaster, California Highway Patrol Officer Alex Rubio said.
CHP Officers began the pursuit on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway at about 11:05 p.m. Thursday, after the taxi was reported stolen from outside a convenience store in Santa Ana.
Santa Ana Police Department Sgt. Matt Hermans said the taxi driver left keys in the ignition and the engine of the Ford Crown Victoria running when he went into a 7-11 near the intersection of Flower Avenue and 1st Street at 10:53 p.m.
Hermans said the suspect drove off in the cab, registered to 24-7 Taxi Cab of Orange.
The cab entered a freeway and the chase was taken up by the California Highway Patrol.
The pursuit, averaging speeds of 40 to 50 mph, continued on the Santa Ana (5), San Gabriel River (605), Pomona (60), Long Beach (710) and Century (105) freeways, before the suspect followed the 5 North beyond Castaic to State Highway 138.
Broadcast footage showed a CHP cruiser initiating a PIT maneuver, which spun the taxi, before the driver retained control of the vehicle in the early stages of the chase.
Three attempts to use spike strips to slow the vehicle were only partially successful, with the first flattening the front passenger side tire, and the suspect able to avoid the other two, according to broadcast reports.
—City News Service