HUNTINGTON BEACH : Police Rouse Suspect After Car Chase

A man suspected of stealing a car was arrested early Tuesday after SWAT team members had to rouse him after a car chase that began in Hawthorne, police said.

Police Lt. Patrick Gildea said he doesn’t know if the suspect, Michael R. Randall, 36, fell asleep when he stopped the car on the 18000 block of Patterson Lane about 4 a.m.

Gildea said Randall refused to step out of the car or even to speak to pursuing officers. Assuming the suspect had a weapon, the officers summoned the SWAT team, which had no luck communicating with the suspect either, the lieutenant said.

“We thought the guy was unconscious or something because we didn’t get a response,” he said.

The SWAT team threw two “flash” grenades at the car, hoping to get the suspect’s attention, Gildea said. Randall finally opened the passenger door for the officers and he was arrested on suspicion of auto theft, evading arrest and drunk driving, he said.

According to the CHP, the car chase started in Hawthorne, went through West Los Angeles and the South Bay before entering Orange County.

The car had been reported stolen in Huntington Beach on Feb. 21, Gildea said.

Randall was taken to Pacifica Community Hospital for evaluation and later booked at the Huntington Beach city jail, he said.