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Driver of stolen box truck in custody after crashing into barrier on 5 Freeway in pursuit

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The driver of a stolen box truck was taken into custody Monday after trying to drive through a concrete barrier during a pursuit, then abandoning the vehicle before fleeing into a Boyle Heights neighborhood.

The truck pursuit began after 9:30 a.m. near Castaic after Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies tried to pull him over for a stolen vehicle violation, authorities said.

Deputies and the California Highway Patrol followed the truck along the 5 Freeway as it drove between lanes and swerved. The truck crossed into Sylmar, Burbank and Glendale.

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At one point, the truck, traveling on the shoulder, appeared to be straddling a freeway wall.

Finally, as the truck reached heavy traffic in Boyle Heights, the driver appeared to drive off the freeway, caught between a row of trash cans and the traffic.

He swerved onto a dirt shoulder and rammed through the concrete barrier at Mission Road.

The driver bolted out of the passenger’s side, ran into freeway lanes and off the road into a neighborhood on Boyle Avenue.

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After running for a few minutes, the driver stopped and hid between a tree and a Jeep.

Tossing his hat off, the driver lay on the street until several CHP officers took him into custody.

Caltrans was trying to repair the concrete barrier before traffic worsened.

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA.

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