A suspected car thief led police on a chase through Santa Ana and Anaheim, ending with a Brea detective opening fire, but not injuring anyone, police said.
The pursuit began just after 2 p.m. near the Santa Ana (5) Freeway and Grand Avenue in Santa Ana when the Brea detective spotted a suspicious vehicle and had the license plate run, leading him to find out it had been stolen out of Sacramento, according to Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt.
The Brea detective trailed the stolen vehicle while calling Santa Ana police for backup, Wyatt said. The chase began on the freeway northbound, and at some point the suspect got off the freeway and got back on going south, Wyatt said.
At some point, Santa Ana police backed off the pursuit, except for one patrol car that was in the lead, Wyatt said. The suspect rammed the stolen vehicle into the Santa Ana squad car, causing both cars to spin out at Gene Autry Way, Wyatt said.
As they were on the shoulder, an Anaheim police sergeant caught up and because he was afraid the suspect might flee in the stolen vehicle again he rammed his squad car into it, Wyatt said.
The Brea detective at that point got out of his unmarked car and fired three rounds into the suspect’s vehicle, Wyatt said. The suspect then surrendered, he said.
–City News Service