Man Held After Chase That Began in San Clemente

A man who police said brandished a knife at workers in a San Clemente tow yard led officers on a two-hour chase Friday through Orange and Los Angeles counties before surrendering in front of a home in Calabasas.

Daniel Pike, 47, was arrested after Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies surrounded him in front of the house, said Hector Rivera, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

No one was injured in the 80-mile chase, which was broadcast live by local TV stations as the procession moved slowly through rush-hour traffic, often going only 10 mph.

Pike, a transient whose last known address was in San Clemente, had been arrested Thursday in connection with a misdemeanor offense, Rivera said, and his van, in which he apparently was living, was impounded.

Orange County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about 2:30 p.m. Friday from A.C. Tow, where Pike had gone to retrieve the Ford Aerostar. Workers at the business, in the 100 block of Calle Iglesia in San Clemente, told officers that when they tried to stop Pike from taking the vehicle, he jumped from the van and chased them with a large knife.

Pike then returned to the van and drove off in it, heading north on Interstate 5 with three police cars in pursuit. The chase continued north on the San Diego Freeway into Los Angeles County, where at least four patrol units from the Lost Hills-Malibu sheriff’s station joined the pursuit. Pike then turned west on the Ventura Freeway and exited at Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas.

After pulling into a driveway, Pike nonchalantly exited the van and walked toward the house, ignoring repeated orders by deputies who surrounded him with guns drawn. He finally stopped at the front door and lay face down on the ground as officers handcuffed him. The 4:45 p.m. arrest came two hours and 15 minutes after the incident began.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies turned over Pike to Orange County officers, who arrested him on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest. He was being held Friday night at the Orange County Jail in Santa Ana.

The van was towed to a police substation and will be returned to the San Clemente impound, police said.