The driver of a suspected stolen van who led California Highway Patrol officers on a high-speed chase through Orange, San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties before returning to Orange County surrendered this morning to authorities in Newport Beach.
Police in Santa Ana spotted the white van near the intersection of Edinger Avenue and Bristol Street about 10:50 p.m. Thursday and ran its license plate, which came back as a stolen vehicle, according to the Santa Ana Police Department.
The driver fled northbound on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway at speeds exceeding 80 mph, transitioned to the Orange (57) Freeway in Anaheim before getting on the eastbound Pomona (60) Freeway in Diamond Bar and traveling into San Bernardino County, where he merged onto the northbound Ontario (15) Freeway in Ontario.
The driver remained on the Ontario Freeway for about two miles before he turned westbound on the San Bernardino (10) Freeway and proceeded at speeds of 70 to 80 mph to the southbound Orange Freeway, where he remained until he merged onto the southbound Santa Ana Freeway in Santa Ana.
The driver continued southbound on the Santa Ana Freeway before he exited at Alton Parkway in Irvine, then proceeded northbound on Alton Parkway, running at least two red lights, before turning southbound on Red Hill Avenue, then south on MacArthur Boulevard.
The driver stopped the van near the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Bison Avenue in Newport Beach about 12:30 a.m. and a passenger exited the vehicle, then the driver and both were taken into custody.
No crashes occurred during the pursuit and no injuries were reported.
