A California Highway Patrol investigation into speeding and unsafe lane changes on Highway 14 yielded drugs and a handgun after a man crashed and fled on foot in October, according to court records.
CHP officers from the Newhall-area Office reported a gray Dodge Durango was weaving in and out of lanes at a high rate of speed around 6:30 p.m. Oct. 25, while heading north on State Route 14, south of Golden Valley Road.
Officers tried to perform a traffic stop, and the driver began to slow in front of the vehicle before taking off, according to a sworn affidavit from CHP officers, who said the Durango reached speeds of up to 99 mph.
The driver continued to operate the vehicle recklessly, according to the report, using the shoulder to pass vehicles at speeds approaching 90 mph, which was responsible for several near misses.
The driver exited the highway at Agua Dulce Canyon Road before getting right back on at Crown Valley Road, which reportedly was done at a speed of approximately 105 mph, per the officer’s report.
The officers lost visual of the suspect briefly before being notified by the CHP’s Antelope Valley Office of a crash at the Soledad Canyon Road off ramp.
In the vehicle, deputies reported finding a firearm, a bag of 15 grams of a white powder that later tested positively as cocaine, a scale, and a wallet and cellphone belonging to the registered owner of the Durango.
A search by CHP officers noted the registered owner was a parolee with a previous robbery conviction. Two days later, officers confirmed at the parolee’s residence that he was still the owner of the car. However, he was not at the residence.
The driver was not in custody as of this story’s publication, according to L.A. County Sheriff’s Department custody records available online.
