Burglary, Pursuit Suspect Slipped Away At OC Grocery Store

MISSION VIEJO, CA — Orange County Sheriff's Department is still searching for a suspect who eluded them after a cross county pursuit, Thursday afternoon. The chase ended at a Tustin grocery store, where the suspect may have escaped posing as an evacuating shopper, cops believe.

At approximately 2 p.m. OCSD Mission Viejo received a "Lojack hit" on an Audi, that was linked to a home burglary earlier in the day, according to officials.

"The suspect led sheriff's deputies on a pursuit from Mission Viejo to Santa Ana," Orange County Sheriff's Department information officer Carrie Braun said. There, he ditched the vehicle and fled inside a grocery store. The Albertson's on the 2000 block of 17th Street was evacuated for the search, Braun said.

Read Also: Albertsons Evacuated After Burglary Suspect Dashes Inside: Report

"We think that he changed his appearance in the store and unfortunately got away," Braun said. "Investigators suspect he left the store with other shoppers being evacuated."

The pursuit of the suspect reached speeds of over 100 miles-per-hour, which prompted officials to back off from outright chasing, leaving that up to the OCSD Duke Helicopter search unit.

Police from Santa Ana, Orange, OCSD sheriff's deputies, and California Highway Patrol all pursued the suspect until he reached the Albertson's and ran into the store. There were no reports of any injuries.

OCSD officers are seeking the suspect described as a male, Hispanic, approximately 5-foot 10-inches to 6-feet tall, Braun told Patch.

As of this report, it is unclear what was taken from the Mission Viejo home.

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OCSD Photo: Duke Helicopter