Pursuit With Shuttle Bus Ends in Crash

A suspect stole an Orange County Transit Authority shuttle bus in Irvine Thursday night and led officers on an approximately half-hour chase that ended with a crash into a guardrail on a freeway in Costa Mesa.

The bus, which was empty, was taken about 6:20 p.m. in the area of Barranca Parkway and Harvard Avenue, according to Irvine police. A motorcycle officer spotted the bus on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway and tried to pull it over, but the suspect didn't yield and allegedly tried to run down the officer but was unsuccessful, according to Irvine Police Department Public Information Officer Kim Mohr.

The officer was not injured, Mohr said. The California Highway Patrol took over the chase, which made its way onto the southbound Costa Mesa (55) Freeway and the suspect crashed the bus into a guardrail while exiting at Fairview Road at 6:51 p.m., authorities said.

The suspect got out and attempted to flee, but was quickly taken into custody by CHP officers, Mohr said.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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