Newport Beach : 3 Car-Theft Suspects Arrested After Chase

Three teen-agers were arrested early Monday on suspicion of stealing a car and leading police on a 100-m.p.h. chase in three cities, authorities said.

The pursuit began when Newport Beach Police Officer Jun Payoyo became suspicious of a group of teen-agers that he had spotted along Balboa Boulevard in two different cars within a few hours.

Payoyo followed the three, who were in a 1987 white Acura Legend, and tried to stop the driver for speeding, Newport Beach police spokesman Bob Oakley said.

Instead of stopping, the driver made a U-turn on Balboa Boulevard and headed toward Costa Mesa. The officer chased the car north on Newport Boulevard to the Costa Mesa Freeway interchange, then north again onto the San Diego Freeway at speeds exceeding 100 m.p.h., Oakley said.

“The Acura was starting to pull away from the squads, and the officers were going to abandon the chase because it wasn’t safe when the driver attempted to pull off at Euclid Street and flipped the car in the ice plant,” Oakley said.

When officers arrived, the trio had fled, but the area was cordoned off and the youths were captured an hour later.

Arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto were Francis M. Guzman, 19, of Riverside and two 16-year-old youths, whose identities were not disclosed because of their age.

Police said the Acura had been stolen at the Newport Harbor Yacht Club early Monday near 8th and Bay streets.

Officers also found a pickup truck in an alley near 8th Street and Balboa Boulevard, which Oakley said was believed to have been stolen in Riverside.