Man’s crime spree leads to 3 carjackings, 2 injured police officers

A man suspected of stealing a vehicle in Ventura County led police on a high-speed pursuit into Los Angeles County, resulting in a crash that injured two police officers in Toluca Lake on Wednesday before the suspect was arrested back in Ventura County.

The suspect allegedly carjacked two other vehicles during the chase that hit speeds topping 100 mph. He was eventually arrested after being boxed in by pursuing officers.

It was unclear exactly when and where the series of auto thefts began, but around 11 a.m., a pair of Los Angeles Police Department officers who were pursuing the suspect were injured in a traffic crash in the 10500 block of Riverside Drive, near Cahuenga Boulevard, according to the LAPD.

The officers were both taken to a hospital in unknown condition, while the suspect fled the scene.

Early Wednesday afternoon, the suspect was spotted driving a white minivan through the San Fernando Valley, traveling at high speeds on streets and the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway, at times narrowly avoiding collisions with other vehicles.

An officer eventually managed to successfully deploy a spike strip that disabled at least one tire on the van. The suspect pulled over near Tampa Avenue and Rinaldi Street in the Porter Ranch area and carjacked a white BMW sedan that was stopped at a gas station, continuing the chase.

Shortly before 2 p.m., with the BMW also appearing to be disabled, the suspect pulled into another gas station in the Woodland Hills area and stole another white minivan.

The suspect then headed west on the Ronald Reagan Freeway, again hitting speeds over 100 mph, before reaching the Moorpark (23) Freeway, where he was boxed in by a trio of police cruisers, one of which the suspect struck while driving in reverse in an unsuccessful attempt to escape.

With the vehicle pinned on three sides, the suspect got out of the van and surrendered.

There was no immediate word of any other injuries during the crime spree, other than the officers in Toluca Lake.

The suspect’s name was not immediately available.