A man driving a stolen Stumptown Coffee Roasters truck led authorities on a chase through the Santa Clarita area just after noon on Monday before jumping out of the vehicle and running across freeway lanes only to be taken into custody.
The driver jumped out of the still-moving truck and ran across the 14 Freeway — dodging passing vehicles — and ran into a ditch before surrendering to law enforcement officials. Sky5 footage of the scene showed him being taken into custody at about 12:37 p.m.
Authorities later said it was a possibly stolen vehicle and it appeared to be a truck for Stumptown Coffee Roasters as it had the Portland-based company’s logo printed on it.
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy told a reporter for the Santa Clarita Valley Signal that, at about noon, deputy spotted the stolen vehicle on The Old Road near Rye Canyon Road but the man behind the wheel would not pull over, prompting the pursuit.
The driver led authorities on a “slow-speed” chase with just “a few erratics moves” before the pursuit came to an end, the deputy said. A spike strip was used to end the pursuit.
Initially, deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were in pursuit before officials with California Highway Patrol took over the chase later as it reached the 5 Freeway and moved onto the 14 Freeway.
The truck could be seen fleeing from patrol vehicles in the furthest right lane later in the chase, as it began approaching Newhall Avenue.
It later moved into the furthest left lane before slowing down as it traveled along the 14 Freeway’s center divider.
At that point, the truck slowed nearly to a stop and a man could be seen getting out of the driver’s side at just about 12:35 p.m. — jumping over the center divider and running across southbound freeways lanes in an area just north of Placerita Canyon Road.
Vehicles were still driving through the five lanes he ran cross as he made his way to the side of the highway. He could be seen running through some shrubbery along the roadway, falling as he slid down small grassy hillside there.
He got back up and kept running away from the road, crossing a grassy area before he reached a fence blocking off another roadway. Then, he raised up his arms briefly when an officer apparently holding up a gun approached him from the behind the fence. He started to lie down on the ground as the officer walked over closer.
The man was soon surrounded by four responding officers who appeared to pull out their firearms, standing behind the fence and they faced him. He continued lying on the ground in surrender.
Officials handcuffed him and brought him to a patrol vehicle, though he fell to his knees multiples times and had to be forced to the waiting sheriff’s car.
Officials later told motorists to stay away from the area of Santa Clarita so law enforcement officials could investigate and clear the scene.
1 Suspect in Custody after @SCVSHERIFF station was in vehicle #pursuit Please Avoid area of 14 Freeway North, at Sierra Hwy North Placerita Canyon Rd. So that law enforcement can clear vehicle and conduct investigation. #TrafficAlert #Breaking #AV411 pic.twitter.com/F0IbzEok5L
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) April 2, 2018
