Los Angeles

Suspects in U-Haul Pursuit That Ended With a Kiss Sentenced

The driver continued after she collided with a car at an intersection in Montebello

A woman was sentenced Friday to 16 months in state prison for leading police on a lengthy pursuit in a stolen U-Haul pickup truck that ended in Montebello with an embrace with her male passenger, who received a four-year term.

Trisha Marie Martinez, 24, was sentenced immediately after pleading no contest to one count each of driving or taking a vehicle without consent, fleeing a pursuing peace officer's motor vehicle while driving and driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Co-defendant Harold Brian Escobar, 29, pleaded no contest to two counts -- one count each of receiving a stolen vehicle, trailer, construction equipment or vessel and fleeing a pursuing peace officer's motor vehicle while driving, and was sentenced to four years in state prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Police initially tried to pull the pickup over in Bell Gardens about 10:30 a.m. Jan. 3, but Martinez sped off, prompting a chase in which officers learned the vehicle had been reported stolen.

After winding on city streets and freeways, the chase ended about noon at the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Third Street in Montebello, where the vehicle's two occupants eventually got out, with the pair engaging in a strange embrace as police approached.

The man, who had appeared to be prolonging the contact and kissing the woman, was zapped with a stun gun, and both suspects were arrested by Bell Gardens police.

Contact Us