17-Year-Old Is Critically Injured in Crash During High-Speed Chase

A 17-year-old from Anaheim was in critical condition Tuesday after he and two other juveniles who were passengers in an allegedly stolen van led police on a high-speed chase through several Orange County cities that ended when the vehicle crashed in Anaheim.

Police said they spotted the driver, who was a suspect in a petty theft incident that occurred Monday, as he was driving a van near Walnut and Cerritos streets in Anaheim. When officers attempted to pull him over, the youth fled, leading police on a 31-minute chase through Anaheim, Fullerton, La Habra and Buena Park.

The pursuit ended when the driver reached a dead end on an Anaheim street and crashed through a block wall into a private backyard. The driver, who was not identified, sustained serious head injuries and was transported by helicopter to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange where he was listed in critical condition, police said.

A 15-year-old boy who was a passenger in the van was treated at Humana Hospital West in Anaheim and released. The other passenger, also a 15-year-old boy, was taken to the Anaheim police station and released to his parents.

Police said a license check of the van revealed that it was stolen. All three juveniles will be charged with attempted auto theft and evading arrest, said Anaheim Sgt. Gordon McConnell.