LA County patrol car stolen, suspect leads officers on high-speed chase
SOUTH EL MONTE, Calif. - A sheriff's deputy found himself without a ride when he returned from making an arrest to find his patrol car had been stolen.
The cruiser was stolen around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and wasn't spotted for more than three hours, when an off-duty Montebello police officer saw it on the Pomona Freeway, said Sgt. Minh Dinh, sheriff's spokesman. The cruiser had been left unlocked with the keys in the ignition, KABC-TV reported.
The California Highway Patrol pursued the sheriff's cruiser - which had its light blaring - through Orange County and into Riverside at speeds of more than 110 mph.
The suspect finally ditched the patrol car in Riverside and fled on foot, according to an Orange County dispatcher. The suspect was still at large early Thursday, but deputies called off the search around 5:30 a.m.
Police believe the suspect may also have posed as a deputy to rob someone in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
The car was stolen while the deputy was investigating reports of a shooting. It wasn’t immediately clear if the suspect who took the cruiser was involved in that case.