Valley Man Gets 432 Years for Crime Spree

An elusive San Fernando Valley man who set an apartment building on fire and hid inside a mattress to escape police was sentenced Friday to 432 years in state prison.

Steven Maurice Miko, 38, was sentenced to 17 consecutive terms of 25 years to life plus seven years for a 11/2-month crime spree that ended in April 2000 with a massive manhunt in North Hills.

“It was just an act of God that no one got hurt,” said Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge John S. Fisher, referring to two high-speed police chases involving Miko.

In the courtroom, Miko showed no reaction as Fisher pronounced one life sentence after another. The man known for his escapes was surrounded by nine sheriff’s deputies.

“It’s a death sentence, no doubt about it,” said Miko’s defense attorney, Larry Sperber, after the sentencing.

He said his client will appeal.

Miko, a third-striker with ties to the Nazi Low Rider gang, was convicted in Van Nuys of kidnapping his girlfriend and assaulting her, said Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. Beth Silverman.

He also was found guilty of multiple counts of burglary, possessing stolen property and evading police.

“He’s a perfect career criminal,” said Silverman, who specializes in hard-core gang prosecutions.

Miko has three previous convictions for residential robbery and one for burglary, she said.

His crime spree began March 17, 2000, when a sheriff’s deputy saw Miko leave a Lancaster home with a gun holster, Silverman said. Miko pointed a revolver at the deputy and fled in a stolen pickup.

On April 1, he was spotted by authorities as he drove a stolen Ford Explorer in Reseda. His girlfriend, who had been beaten and stabbed, was handcuffed in the vehicle, Silverman said.

Miko evaded police again, hiding in an Etiwanda Avenue apartment and then setting fire to the building. He jumped from a third-story window and ran into another building, where he cut a hole in a mattress and hid inside it.

He then cut his hair, shaved his mustache, changed his clothes and walked out of the area unnoticed.

Two weeks later, police went to an Arleta home to arrest Miko, and he led them on a car chase.

The manhunt ended four hours later in North Hills, with two police helicopters, eight police dogs and 100 officers assisting in his arrest.