Man Arrested After Chase Into Canyon

After leading police on a hot pursuit and then jumping over a cliff in the Sunland-Tujunga area, a Norwalk man wanted by authorities for allegedly threatening to set his girlfriend on fire was arrested after he was found early Tuesday lying deep in a canyon with numerous injuries from a fall.

Carlos Vasquez, 30, was transported to USC Medical Center after a search and rescue team found him at 4:30 a.m. about 400 feet below where he had hopped over a guardrail while running from authorities, said Lt. Rick Papke of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Foothill Division.

On Nov. 22, Vasquez’s pregnant 20-year-old girlfriend called police after he allegedly beat her up, doused her with gasoline and threatened to light her on fire, Papke said.

But Vasquez fled before police could capture him.

At about 8:30 p.m. Monday, Foothill patrol officers spotted the suspect in a 1984 Chevy Camaro heading eastbound on Foothill Boulevard near Mt. Gleason Avenue, police said.

They flashed patrol car lights and tried to get him to stop but he sped off, starting a 10-minute chase.

The suspect drove into a steep, hilly area on Big Tujunga Canyon Road and then crashed.

He dashed from his car and hopped over a guardrail, plunging into a rocky ravine below, Papke said.

Because of the darkness and steep, dangerous terrain, the patrol officers called for backup. A search and rescue team consisting of the LAPD, the Monrovia Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau searched the area and hours later found Vasquez in a canyon, said Officer Charlotte Broughton, a spokeswoman for the LAPD.

Vasquez had a fractured pelvis, back injuries and numerous cuts and bruises, Broughton said.

During the pursuit, a patrol officer suffered minor injuries after being involved in a traffic accident, Papke said.

Vasquez is expected to be booked on suspicion of felony domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, felony evading and felony hit and run, authorities said.