Car Chase Concludes With Driver Parking in Police Station Lot

A couple in a silver Cadillac DeVille that may have been stolen led authorities on an hourlong chase on Orange County streets and freeways Tuesday, injuring one officer, before finally stopping outside the Anaheim police station, authorities said.

Police arrested Tyler Oliff, 39, and his wife, Tammy, 34, both of Anaheim. Charges pending against the pair include driving a stolen vehicle, evading police officers, assaulting a police officer and, possibly, not wearing seat belts, said Officer Katrina Lundgren, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol.

“Probably the most serious is assaulting the officer,” she said.

The saga began about 3:40 p.m. when the La Habra Police Department received word that a stolen vehicle had been sighted northbound on Harbor Boulevard just north of Imperial Highway in Brea.

“One of our officers turned on his red lights and siren to stop it, and the car sped off,” said Lt. Wayne Lowry, a spokesman for the La Habra department.

Officers from four agencies pursued the Cadillac as it traveled through La Habra, Brea, Placentia, Santa Ana, Irvine, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove and Anaheim, as well as along the Costa Mesa and Riverside freeways, at speeds of up to 70 mph.

At one point, Lundgren said, a pursuing CHP car was able to tap the Cadillac’s rear end, causing it to spin out.

An officer approached the car with his gun drawn, opened the passenger-side door and was reaching inside when the driver sped off in reverse, knocking the officer out of the way with the open door.

‘Distraught’ Driver Called CHP Supervisor

The officer, whose name was not released, was injured, Lundgren said, but not seriously enough to be hospitalized.

Later, the driver used a cell phone to call a CHP supervisor, who urged him to pull over and let his passenger out.

“He seemed to be distraught,” Lundgren said, “but we don’t know why. He was still driving around city streets.”

The ordeal ended about 5 p.m. when the driver suddenly pulled into the parking lot of the Anaheim Police Department and stopped in one of the slots.

Police with guns drawn ordered the couple out of the car and arrested them.