Wild Car Chase Across 3 Counties Thwarted By Freelance Journalist

Anaheim police pursued a suspect across Orange County freeways Monday, at speeds topping 100-miles-per-hour, cops said. A suspect attempted to elude authorities in three counties, but the chase at last came to a end when the driver abandoned the vehicle in Jurupa Valley and ran into a business where was taken into custody. A female suspect was arrested shortly thereafter, thanks to the help of a freelance journalist.

Earlier in the day, an Anaheim Police officer spotted a dark-colored Toyota Camry and determined that it had a stolen license plate, leading police to speculate that the Camry itself had been stolen, according to Anaheim police Sgt. Daron Wyatt. The officer tried to pull over the driver, who responded by speeding away.

The driver got onto the eastbound 91 Freeway and sped into Riverside County and into the Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, before he turned around and drove back into the Riverside area. At times the agitated driver -- who apparently had a passenger in the vehicle -- tossed items out of the window as he drove.

He occasionally drove on the wrong side of the street, dodged two attempted PIT maneuvers and negotiated around traffic as he circled streets in Riverside County, ultimately winding up in Jurupa Valley, where he came to a stop in the 3400 block of Grapevine and ran from the car and through the parking lot of an industrial building.

A female passenger got out of the Camry and jumped into the back seat of a "good Samaritan's" car, Wyatt said.

That car continued for about 50 yards but stopped alongside the car of a videographer who was following the chase and urged the people in the other vehicle to surrender. Wyatt called the freelance photographer his "new personal hero" over social media.

The female suspect who had entered the "good Samaritan's" vehicle exited and "proned herself out" as police arrived, Wyatt said. She was taken into custody.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies set up a perimeter and found the male driver in the rear of the building, where he was arrested, Wyatt said.

The male suspect was under the influence of drugs and was taken to a hospital to be evaluated, Wyatt said.

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