Police Pursuit Through Orange County Area Ends With Arrest

The pursuit driver was taken into custody shortly before midnight.

A pursuit through the Orange County area Saturday evening ended with the arrest of one woman, after spike strips disabled her car, police said.

The pursuit started when Tustin police officers tried to pull over a driver for driving under the influence near Red Hill Avenue and the 5 Freeway in Tustin, according to Sgt. Chris Gerber of the Tustin Police Department.

When the driver failed to stop, Tustin police started pursuing the driver, Gerber said. The chase was later taken over by the Orange Police Department, who pursued the car through Orange before it headed back into Tustin. 

Aerial footage from NewsChopper 4 showed the pursuit driver run red lights, drive on the wrong side of the road and make several U-turns in an effort to avoid police. 

Chase speeds ranged from 5 to 90 mph. 

The pursuit ended just before midnight after a spike strip disabled the car, which eventually stopped at Tustin Avenue north of 17th Street in Tustin, Gerber said.

Joann Bell, 35, of Orange was arrested for felony evading, driving under the influence, and for possession of narcotics, according to Gerber. The Torrance Police Department took her into custody. 

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No crashes occurred during the pursuit, and no one was injured. Bell was the only person in the car during the pursuit, police said.

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