SIMI VALLEY : Suspected Car Thief Arrested After Chase

Simi Valley police arrested a Los Angeles man Thursday on suspicion of stealing a car and evading arrest after he led officers on a brief high-speed chase that started on the Simi Valley Freeway and ended in the San Fernando Valley.

Ruben Yepez, 20, was arrested about 6 a.m. after he lost control of the 1988 Chevy Camaro and rolled onto the shoulder of the Simi Valley Freeway near Reseda Boulevard, police said.

Yepez had stolen the vehicle about a half-hour earlier from a Simi Valley resident, police said. The name of the resident was not available Thursday. A Simi Valley police officer spotted Yepez in the vehicle driving southbound on the Simi Valley Freeway near Kuehner Drive, authorities said.

The officer followed Yepez until he was joined by a second police cruiser on the freeway near Tampa Avenue in the San Fernando Valley. When the pair attempted to pull Yepez over, he sped off, police said.

After pursuing him at high speeds for about a mile, Yepez lost control of the vehicle, authorities said. He was taken into custody without injury, authorities said.