Nighttime Commuters See Wild Freeway Chase

Authorities today held a man suspected of stealing a U- Haul box truck in Riverside and leading officers on a chase into Orange County before crashing beneath a freeway overpass in Orange.

The chase, which lasted nearly an hour, ended just after 11 p.m. Wednesday after California Highway Patrol officers used the PIT maneuver to nudge the truck into an embankment on State College Boulevard under the Santa Ana (5) Freeway near Angel Stadium, CHP Officer Mark Dooley told a news photographer at the scene.

CHP officers chased the suspect on the Riverside (91) and Santa Ana (5) freeways as well as surface streets after taking over the pursuit from Riverside police, Dooley said.

Broadcast video showed the truck skidding and spinning on rain-slick roads during the pursuit.

The truck was reported stolen from a U-Haul yard in Riverside, Dooley said.

The shirtless suspect gave up after the crash and was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange, said Dooley.

Video showed the man -- atop a stiff board and gurney and fitted with a neck brace -- being placed into an ambulance. The windshield of the truck appeared to be smashed on the driver's side.

Dooley said the suspect faced possible felony evading and vehicle theft charges and was being investigated for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. --City News Service