Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Driver Arrested After 3-Hour, 250-Mile Chase

A Palmdale man was arrested and his young son taken into protective custody early Wednesday after the man led sheriff’s deputies on a chase that lasted more than three hours, went through three counties and covered about 250 miles.

Daniel M. McKim, 35, was arrested at 3:37 a.m. Wednesday near the desert community of California City on suspicion of evading arrest, assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer, child endangerment and carrying a concealed weapon. A loaded 12-gauge shotgun police was found in his truck, authorities said.

The pursuit began shortly after midnight when a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy tried to stop McKim for a traffic violation near Lancaster Boulevard and Sierra Highway in Lancaster, said Sheriff’s Deputy Gabe Ramirez. McKim sped off.

McKim drove east through the Los Angeles County portion of the Antelope Valley into neighboring San Bernardino County and back into Lancaster. He then drove north into Kern County, where he was finally stopped northwest of California City.

Officers from the sheriff’s departments of Los Angeles and Kern counties, a helicopter unit, California Highway Patrol and California City Police Department assisted in the chase.

CHP officers stopped McKim by blocking his truck with their vehicle. According to Ramirez, McKim tried to back his truck into the CHP car before an officer shot one of the truck tires out.

McKim continued to fight his arrest by refusing to unlock his truck door, Ramirez said. Finally a CHP officer broke out one of the truck windows, slightly cutting McKim.

McKim’s 4-year-old son was not injured.