LOCAL : Huntington Beach Man Flees Police; 150-Mile Chase Ends in the Ocean

A Huntington Beach man led authorities on 150-mile chase over 10 freeways in Los Angeles and Orange counties early this morning before driving his Chevrolet Camaro into the ocean off the Huntington Beach pier, authorities said.

An Orange County Sheriff’s Department boat finally plucked James Hamilton, 23, from the chilly waters where he was clinging to a pier support about 5:20 a.m., said California Highway Patrol Lt. Jerry Jewett. Hamilton was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach where he was being treated for hypothermia and scrapes to his stomach. He was arrested on suspicion of evading police and damaging city property.

Brea police began pursuing Hamilton about 2:45 a.m. on the southbound Orange Freeway in Brea because they believed his car was involved in a murder investigation, Jewett said. Brea police soon lost sight of Hamilton and CHP officers continued the pursuit at speeds of 80 to 105 m.p.h.

Hamilton crisscrossed the counties for about two hours before he left the San Diego Freeway at Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach. He then drove to Pacific Coast Highway and turned onto the closed pier. His car crashed through a chain-link fence and drove off the end, the Camaro sinking to the bottom, Jewett said. The pier, which was damaged in a storm last year, had been closed for repairs.

“I was pretty much amazed that he didn’t have an accident considering the distance he covered and the speed he was traveling,” Jewett said. “The way it ended was the most outrageous I’ve seen. It’s almost humorous,” Jewett said.