Laguna Niguel Verizon Store Robbery Turns Into I-5 Pursuit

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA— A vehicle pursuit Thursday night startled Orange County residents, according to social media streams. Officials began following a white Ford F-150 up the 5 Freeway from Laguna Niguel to Pasadena..

The chase began just before 10:30 p.m. Laguna Niguel, off the 27000 block of Alicia Parkway, following a robbery at a Verizon store, Orange County sheriff's Lt. Mark Kiernan said.

"Two men displayed a handgun to the store's janitorial crew, who gave them access to the store," Kiernan said. "No shots were fired and no one was injured in the robbery, but authorities were still trying to determine if there was a loss."

Buena Park police soon began pursuing the truck that had three suspects inside and matched the description provided by the sheriff's department, chasing it across the county line into eastern Los Angeles, where the California Highway Patrol took over.

CHP picked up the chase at just before 11:15 p.m. Thursday on the westbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway near Soto Street in Boyle Heights, according to CHP Officer Tony Polizzi.

The chase ended in Pasadena where the driver let his two passengers out just before abandoning the truck and running into a parking structure in the area of Colorado Boulevard and Lake Avenue, authorities said. The chase ended about a block from an Apple store where customers were lined up for the release of the iPhoneX, slated for Friday morning, according to reports from the scene.

Authorities setup a containment in the area around 11:30 p.m. Thursday as they searched for the suspects. The suspects remained at large as of 2 a.m., according to authorities.

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