Palmdale man ‘angry with government’ accused of slashing patrol car tires

A man who said he was angry at the government was arrested Monday on suspicion of slashing the tires on a patrol car parked outside a Palmdale Wal-Mart, authorities said.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators said they arrested David Morales, 22, more than a week after the tire-slashing incident when they were able to identify him from surveillance video recorded outside the Wal-Mart.

An off-duty sheriff’s detective familiar with Morales from an earlier incident spotted him Friday and deputies chased him at speeds up to 60 mph.

But when Morales ran a red light and nearly struck a car, deputies backed off the pursuit, authorities said.

On Monday, deputies were able to track down Morales at his home and arrested him on suspicion of vandalism and reckless driving, said sheriff’s Deputy Jodi Wolfe.

Morales told deputies he vandalized the patrol car because “he was angry with the government,” she said.

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