Police Halt Hourlong Car Chase

Cypress police trying to make a traffic stop were led on an hourlong chase through six cities Monday, only to call off the pursuit out of a fear for public safety.

Police said a male driving a late-1980s blue Thunderbird refused to stop when an officer tried to pull him over for a traffic violation near Ball Road and Valley View Street about 8 a.m.

The driver led police through Cypress, Buena Park, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Westminster and Garden Grove on surface streets and the Garden Grove and San Diego freeways. The driver mostly cruised between 35 and 50 mph, but caused two non-injury accidents, Cypress Police Lt. Jeff Kepley said.

The first occurred when a driver lost control of her car when she saw the pursuit on Valley View Street south of Orange Avenue in Cypress. Later, the suspect became boxed in near Magnolia Street and Westminster Boulevard in Garden Grove and pushed his way out, hitting a police car and a second vehicle.

The driver then sped off, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph before authorities called off the chase because the suspect was known only to have broken traffic laws.

“It’s gotten to the point where it’s not worth it,” Kepley said. “There are too many ugly stories out there with people getting hurt in pursuits.”

Kepley said police managed to get a license plate number and know the name of the Thunderbird driver, but will not release his identity, pending his arrest.