Police Search Yards in Vain as Car Thief Flees on Foot

Officers from four agencies unsuccessfully searched the back yards of a Tustin neighborhood Monday for a car thief who had led them on a chase and then disappeared over the wall of a home on Arapahoe Street.

Police said 17 officers searched the yards of the homes in a six-block area surrounding Iroquois and Arapahoe streets because they were concerned that the thief might try to break into someone’s home to escape.

Police said the suspect, in his early 20s with long, blond hair, had taken a Nissan Pathfinder from in front of the Orange County Pest Control office in the Laguna Hills Business Park on Alcalde Drive. The owner had left the keys in the ignition and the motor running, California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Angel Johnson said.

The owner saw the theft and yelled, attracting the attention of an off-duty sheriff’s deputy who followed the thief onto the freeway and called the CHP.

Two CHP officers joined, as the thief turned off at Tustin Ranch Road. When they signaled him to pull over, he turned left on El Camino Real and sped away, Johnson said.

After turning left again on Park Center Drive, the suspect slowed, jumped out, and sprinted through Camino Real Park toward Arapahoe Street.

CHP Officer Tammy Carroll managed to catch up with him and grab his clothing but lost him in the struggle, Johnson said.

Besides officers from the CHP, police from Tustin, Santa Ana and Irvine joined in the search for about four hours using a police dog and helicopter, Johnson said.