A brief pursuit followed by a traffic collision at 10 a.m. Wednesday in which a truck rolled on its side resulted in two men arrested on suspicion of grand theft and the third man arrested on suspicion of felony evading, according to law enforcement officials.
Josh Greengard, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s Newhall Office, said CHP officers observed a vehicle, a Dodge Ram, that ran a red light at Newhall Ranch Road and Rye Canyon Road. Officers initiated an enforcement stop and the vehicle led CHP officers on a short pursuit.
The vehicle drove up a ramp leaving a shopping center area. The three men occupying the truck then crashed into a fence and rolled down a concrete retaining wall leading them back into the center.
“At around 9:45 a.m. deputies received a call from an individual who reported stolen equipment from the back of their truck,” said Natalie Arriaga, spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
She added that, at the same time, CHP officers got involved with the suspects for a traffic incident without knowing that they were suspected of burglary. Deputies and CHP officers then assisted each other on the scene.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies and CHP officers detained the three occupants of the vehicle, according to Lt. Marc Philips, of the SCV Sheriff’s Station. Deputies arrested two of the men on suspicion of grand theft while the third man was arrested by CHP officers on suspicion of felony evading, said Natalie Arriaga, spokeswoman for the SCV Sheriff’s Station.
“At around 9:45 a.m. deputies received a call from an individual who reported stolen equipment from the back of their truck,” Arriaga said.
“The incident happened very quickly,” CHP Officer Moises Marroquin said. “There were no known injuries for the individuals and our officers.”
Fire Department spokesman Johnathan Matheny said the traffic collision was reported at 10 a.m. At the time, he could only report that the California Highway Patrol and the SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies were on the scene.
Fire responders were cleared to aid on the scene at approximately 10:16 a.m., according to Matheny. He also confirmed that one ambulance was dispatched to the scene in case of a medical emergency and firefighters were on standby.
