Suspected Car Thief, 16, Takes Wrong Route

A panicked teen-ager suspected of stealing a car made a mistake as he was fleeing on foot Sunday and ended up in the parking lot of the West Hollywood sheriff’s station, where he was promptly arrested.

The 16-year-old suspected car thief and his two friends allegedly pretended they had a gun and stole a vintage 1965 Ford Mustang and a wallet from a West Hollywood man in front of his Hammond Street home at 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Deputy Detta Roberts said.

The victim flagged down Deputy Ruby McKoy, who was patrolling in the area, and she pursued the youths, Roberts said.

After about a quarter-mile, the Mustang slammed into another car at Santa Monica and San Vicente boulevards, and three people jumped out and ran, she said.

The 16-year-old, whose name was withheld, was met at the sheriff’s station by several deputies who had run outside after hearing the pursuit on radio scanners inside the station. They were more than happy to arrest him, Roberts said.

The other two suspects, Jason Rodriguez and Tony Chavez, both 18 and residents of Eagle Rock, were caught a short distance away, she said. They were booked for investigation of robbery and grand theft auto and held in lieu of $6,000 bail.

The 16-year-old boy, also of Eagle Rock, was being held at Sylmar Juvenile Hall, she said.