OnStar Assists CHP In Bellflower Car Chase
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A potential high-speed car chase slowed to a crawl this morning after California Highway Patrol officers got an assist from OnStar, the in-vehicle security and hands-free calling system that comes standard in new GM vehicles.
At around 8 a.m., OnStar activated its "stolen car slowdown" feature on a Chevy Spark that had been reported stolen. Once activated, the feature remotely slowed the car down to 5 miles-per-hour, allowing officers to apprehend the driver, Blaze Ramos, on a residential street in Bellflower.
"The police reached out to us. We confirmed it was stolen, sent them the location and slowed the situation down," Stefan Cross, an OnStar spokesman, told CBS2/KCAL's Amy Johnson.
It's a little-known feature of the OnStar system, which has been around for 19 years and is more commonly used to make hands-free phone calls while driving. OnStar said it uses the feature about five times a month and has located about 60,000 stolen vehicles.
"It was great. It kept our officers safe and kept adrenaline levels down," said CHP Officer Jeremy Polen. "But more importantly it kept the public safe."
