LOCAL : Police Chase Suspected Car Thieves Through Three Counties

Authorities today chased suspected car thieves in two early morning pursuits through Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles counties.

One chase began in National City about 3:40 a.m. when police tried to stop a car for a minor traffic violation, said Lyle Whitten of the Westminster California Highway Patrol.

The driver headed north on the San Diego Freeway at speeds between 100 and 110 m.p.h. before losing control while trying to leave the freeway in Long Beach, Whitten said. The car went over the side of the Lakewood Boulevard off-ramp. The driver and his two passengers were unharmed, Whitten said.

Officers searched the vehicle and found a scale, plastic bags and a small amount of a white powdery substance believed to be crystal amphetamine, Whitten said. The car was determined to have been stolen, the officer said.

Michael Ray Praytor, 19, the driver, and JoAnn Barwick, 38, both of San Diego, were arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of drugs, Whitten said. Russell Patrick Broom, 19, of San Diego, also a passenger, fled and was later found in a drainage ditch near the freeway, Whitten said. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of drugs, the officer said.

The other chase started in Los Angeles about 1:15 a.m. when officers attempted to stop a car that had been reported stolen, a police spokesman said. The chase continued to the Mexican border, where Mexican authorities apparently shot at the speeding sedan. The occupants ditched the vehicle and escaped on foot.