Man in Custody After Car Chase
A man led police on a high-speed chase for more than two hours Tuesday, first driving a stolen pickup truck and then, after he collided with a shuttle bus, carjacking a minivan.
The driver, identified as 27-year-old Pete Tauveve, lost control of the minivan on the Santa Ana Freeway in Santa Fe Springs after driving at speeds of up to 90 mph and hitting more than 20 cars. It was not immediately known whether Tauveve had a weapon.
He crashed into the center divider, abandoned the vehicle and ran across four freeway lanes before surrendering.
The chase began about 4 p.m. in Bellflower when sheriff’s deputies tried to pull him over for suspicion of driving a stolen truck, said CHP Sgt. Ernie Garcia.
The pursuit eventually looped around South Los Angeles, Garcia said.
When the truck hit a shuttle bus on a surface street, the suspect jumped out, ran across a lane, yanked open the side door of a minivan and entered it.
The minivan driver, Tim Cole, 48, freed himself from his seat belt and the suspect shoved him out. He suffered minor injuries.
At one point, the suspect’s sister tried to jump into the moving truck, but Tauveve sped away. The woman fell to the ground, suffering minor injuries.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
