A vehicle pursuit Monday afternoon that began on northbound Interstate 5 near Newhall — and led to a foot chase — ended with the arrest of a 32-year-old Los Angeles man driving what turned out to be a stolen Volkswagen, said California Highway Patrol officials.
According to Officer Josh Greengard, spokesman for the CHP Newhall Office, a canine unit reported a pursuit of a black 2019 Volkswagen GLI for reckless driving at about 1:06 p.m. Monday on northbound Interstate 5 near Calgrove Boulevard in Newhall.
“The Volkswagen exited the freeway,” Greengard wrote in an email to The Signal, “and traversed surface streets before re-entering the freeway driving (the) wrong way at times.”
Greengard said Newhall-area units pursued the vehicle on The Old Road at Calgrove Boulevard. The suspect then got back onto Interstate 5 at Roxford Street in Granada Hills, driving northbound in the southbound lanes.
“The Volkswagen continued driving (the) wrong way (for) approximately 1 mile,” Greengard continued, “where it was involved in a crash with another vehicle.”
According to Greengard, the collision was just south of Interstate 210.
“After the crash,” he said, “the suspect exited the vehicle and fled on foot. A short foot pursuit ensued, and the suspect was taken into custody without any further incident.”
Bail for the suspect was set at $75,000, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department booking log. As of Tuesday morning, he was still at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
Greengard said the vehicle pursuit reached speeds of at least 80 mph. He added that the Volkswagen was eventually found to be stolen.