Teenager arrested after stolen vehicle crashes into a Newport Beach building

A teenager was taken into custody early Monday on suspicion of crashing a stolen vehicle into a building in Newport Beach after a brief police pursuit, according to authorities.

Newport Beach police arrested the 17-year-old Los Angeles resident at about 12:45 a.m., a little less than a half-hour after officers responded to a report of the theft of three vehicles at Sterling BMW, 3000 W. Coast Hwy., Police Department spokeswoman Heather Rangel said Tuesday.

“Officers observed the vehicles driving in the area and, when they tried to conduct a vehicle stop, that’s when a short pursuit began,” she said.

Rangel said she didn’t have specifics on the path or duration of the pursuit but said it ended when one of the vehicles crashed into a building.

Rangel said she couldn’t confirm the address where the crash took place but said the vehicle’s driver was taken into custody in the area of West Coast Highway and Balboa Boulevard. OnScene TV reported that the vehicle crashed into the old Pine Knot Motel at 6302 W. Coast Hwy. That site is one of three locations the city is considering for a homeless shelter.

The driver — whose name is not being released because he is a minor — was booked on suspicion of auto grand theft, evading a peace officer, commercial burglary with forced entry, a curfew violation, false identification to a peace officer and hit and run with property damage, according to Rangel.

It was unclear Tuesday morning how many other people were involved in the incident, and Rangel said she didn’t have information on whether police had recovered the two other vehicles reportedly stolen.

The incident remains under investigation.

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