Two grand theft suspects involved in a pursuit that ended in a crash Wednesday were released later that same day, according to law enforcement officials.
A third suspect, arrested on suspicion of felony evading arrest, was held in lieu of $75,000, according to department booking logs.
The three arrests stem from a call received by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department dispatch regarding a report of grand theft at approximately 9:48 a.m. on the 26100 block of Bouquet Canyon Road in Saugus.
“It was reported equipment was stolen from the back of the victim’s truck bed,” said Deputy Natalie Arriaga, a spokeswoman for Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “The suspects left prior to deputy arrival.”
In an effort to find the stolen property, and those who might be responsible for taking it, deputies conducted a search around the area where the crime was reported, Arriaga said.
“But in the meantime, California Highway Patrol contacted a vehicle for vehicle code violations, which turned into a short pursuit, resulting in a single-vehicle traffic collision,” said Arriaga.
Josh Greengard, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s Newhall-Area Office, said CHP officers observed a vehicle, a Dodge Ram, that ran a red light at Newhall Ranch Road and Rye Canyon Road.
Greengard confirmed officers initiated an enforcement stop and the vehicle led CHP officers on a short pursuit.
The pickup truck drove up a ramp leaving a shopping center area of Newhall Ranch Road, crashed into a fence, and fell 20 feet on its side, between a wall and a vacant building in the parking lot of the Smart and Final shopping center.
“A deputy conducting a search of the area for the outstanding suspects per our grand theft investigation saw the vehicle CHP was detaining and recognized it from suspects’ vehicle description provided during the grand theft investigation,” said Arriaga.
In total, three men — two 24-year-olds and a 25-year-old — were arrested and no major injuries were reported. The 25-year-old and one of the 24-year-olds, who were arrested on suspicion of the grand theft charge, were cited out with a promise to appear in court in four months.
