Shoplifting Suspect Leads Police On Wild Chase Through San Gabriel Valley
GLENDORA (CBSLA) -- A shoplifting suspect led police on a wild chase Tuesday afternoon through the San Gabriel Valley.
The pursuit began after police responded to reports of theft at a Home Depot in Glendora just before 5 p.m. The suspect took off in a black sedan and began driving very aggressively and at high speeds.
Initially in patrol cars, police backed off and began following the man from the air in an effort to prevent him from putting others at danger due to reckless driving.
Not long after, the man stopped for gas and ran inside to beg the cashiers for gas. He can be seen and heard on security footage pleading with the employees.
"As we continued refusing, he started to get more aggressive," one of the gas station employees said. "He started demanding more and and threatening us that if we don't, it will get much more messy or crazy."
Security footage shows the suspect run back to his car, grab a package and toss it in the bed of a pickup truck parked next to him. It appears the customer putting gas in the pickup truck handed the suspect something.
The suspect then got back in his car and drove off.
"It just seemed like it was just another crazy man," an employee said.
The driver then took off down Valley Blvd. to another gas station, where he stopped again.
Staff at the gas station did not provide security footage to KCAL 9, but reporter Laurie Perez said that the man ran inside, threw cash on the counter, ran out, and got $10 worth of gas before driving away again.
The pursuit eventually ended when the man drove into a parking structure in downtown Los Angeles and surrendered to ground units.
