Driver in Stolen Car Surrenders After Wild Chase

A man driving a stolen car with a broken axle and only three good wheels led police on a wild chase through Pacoima until he surrendered by driving into the parking lot of a police station Wednesday night.

The 15-minute chase began about 6:45 p.m. near Terra Bella Street and Sunland Boulevard after patrolling officers did a computer check on the car’s license plate and learned that the Nissan 280Z was stolen, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Gene Fretheim.

Fretheim said the car had not traveled far when it crashed into another vehicle at the intersection of Terra Bella and Woodman Avenue. There were no injuries, but the impact broke the car’s axle and left one wheel bent.

The driver still tried to flee, racing the car down surface streets at 60 m.p.h., Fretheim said. “It was a mess, sparks flying all over the place,” he said.

The driver finally slowed to about 30 m.p.h. along San Fernando Road, then turned onto Osborne Avenue, where the Foothill Division station is, Fretheim said.

“It was obvious where he was going. There were a couple of officers waiting for him,” Fretheim said.

The driver, whose name was not released, said he was a diabetic suffering from an insulin reaction, police said. He was taken to Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley, then arrested on suspicion of auto theft, police said.