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Wienerschnitzel burglary, steakhouse carjacking and a wild pursuit

Suspected burglar and carjacker is arrested after a pursuit that started in Lakewood and led to South El Monte.

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What do you get when you mix a burglary at a Wienerschnitzel and a carjacking at a steakhouse? Thursday morning’s bizarre caper, which included, between restaurants, a high-speed pursuit with L.A. County sheriff’s deputies in East Los Angeles.

It all began about 1:40 a.m. when a deputy saw a man burglarizing the fast-food hot dog chain in Lakewood, and then jump into a car and take off. The man nearly hit the deputy, who was on foot and tried to stop the man from escaping.

The man sped through East L.A. streets at speeds of up to 70 mph, said Sgt. Oscar Butao. He was driving so dangerously that deputies backed off and let a sheriff’s helicopter watch from above.

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Then, in City of Commerce, the man carjacked a woman in the parking lot of Steven’s Steak & Seafood House and took off in her car.

In all, the man led police through nearly a dozen cities, including Artesia, Pico Rivera, Downey and Lynwood.

California Highway Patrol officers disabled the man’s car in El Monte and took him into custody about 2:30 a.m. He was unarmed and didn’t have any cash from the initial burglary, authorities said.

The man, whose identity was not released, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, burglary and felony evading arrest.

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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