HUNTINGTON BEACH : Tustin Rider Hurt in Police Pursuit of Stolen Motorcycle

A police pursuit Thursday ended when the driver of a stolen pink-and-yellow motorcycle crashed into a center divider, authorities said.

Daniel Allan Newton, 26, allegedly stole a motorcycle in Costa Mesa and was riding it on Pacific Coast Highway at 19th Street about 6 a.m. when Huntington Beach police officers spotted him, Police Lt. Luis Ochoa said. The suspect led police on a chase at speeds up to 65 m.p.h. through residential neighborhoods, ending about a mile away at Seapoint Avenue, north of Palm Avenue, where he lost control of the motorcycle and struck a center divider, Ochoa said.

The man, who was wearing a helmet, suffered head and internal injuries and was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange, where he was listed in fair condition Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said. Investigators also recovered a loaded semiautomatic handgun that the man apparently tossed into a bush by the side of the road during the pursuit, Ochoa said.

Newton was arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and a loaded handgun and evading arrest, police said.