Police Arrest Driver After High-Speed, 3-County Chase

A 39-year-old transient driving a vehicle reported as stolen hit speeds of 120 m.p.h. during a 70-mile police chase Sunday through Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino counties.

Gregory Williams was finally taken into custody on suspicion of felony evading arrest and vehicle theft after he blew a tire at the Archibald Avenue off-ramp on the San Bernardino Freeway in Ontario, California Highway Patrol Sgt. Roman Vondriska said.

“He was using all lanes of the freeways,” Vondriska said. “At times he was on the shoulder, then on the center divider. Luckily no one was injured during the chase and there were no accidents.”

The 40-minute chase began about 2:45 p.m. in Placentia and involved numerous police agencies in Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties and two police helicopters.

The vehicle was reported stolen May 23 in the Los Angeles County city of Walnut, Vondriska said.

The suspect first evaded Placentia police and then got on the Riverside Freeway headed east, Vondriska said. He then allegedly moved onto the Orange Freeway and then the Garden Grove Freeway.

Then, Vondriska said, Williams changed freeways again, getting on the San Diego Freeway in Los Alamitos, then headed north on the San Gabriel River Freeway. Finally, he reportedly entered the San Bernardino Freeway eastbound and was stopped in Ontario.

In Ontario at Archibald, Vondriska said Williams blew a tire and was driving on the wheel rim. Williams was caught at about 3:30 p.m.

“He lost it on the wheel rim when he tried to make a turn to get off the freeway,” Vondriska said. “He lost control and the vehicle just came to a stop.”

The suspect did not say why he failed to stop for police, Vondriska said.