Exploding Engine Ends 95-Mile Chase
COSTA MESA — A driver led police on a 95-mile chase Monday that began in Costa Mesa and ended in Kern County when his engine exploded.
The chase began about 6:30 p.m. when an officer tried to stop the man for reckless driving at 19th Street and Harbor Boulevard, police said. The man, whom police have not identified, sped off instead, said Costa Mesa Officer Bob Crogan.
The driver weaved in and out of traffic, with as many as five police cars and a helicopter chasing him, witnesses said.
The suspect fled north on the San Diego Freeway, zipping through Los Angeles and Ventura counties with the California Highway Patrol in pursuit. In the city of Gorman, which borders Los Angeles and Kern counties, the suspect’s car engine overheated and blew up, Crogan said.
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