The Region - News from May 12, 1985

A suspected auto thief in Gardena led law enforcement officers on a 128-mile chase that ended in a multivehicle collision on a San Diego freeway, authorities said. Four people were treated at San Diego area hospitals for minor injuries and released after the stolen van being driven by David Arreola hit two other vehicles head on, a California Highway Patrol spokeswoman said. Arreola, 22, of Gardena, was arrested on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, grand theft auto, reckless driving and evading arrest, Gardena Police Sgt. Garry Garrett said. The chase began when Gardena police spotted a van matching the description of a stolen vehicle and began pursuing it south on the Harbor Freeway and then on the San Diego Freeway. They were joined by Los Angeles police, the Highway Patrol and sheriff deputies from Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties before the chase ended almost two hours later on a crowded ramp connecting the southbound 805 Freeway to the eastbound Interstate 8 in San Diego.