Chase ends in arrests

Jose Paul Corona

A high-speed chase that began in Huntington Beach Friday ended in with

two arrests in Compton.

Tony Younan of Rowland Heights and Vivian Gallegos of El Monte have

been arrested on suspicion of felony evasion and child endangerment after

they led police on a 25-minute chase Friday morning, said Huntington

Beach police Sgt. Gary Meza.

Speeds exceeded 100 mph during the short chase, Meza said.

Huntington Beach Police pulled over a 1993 black Acura Integra at the

intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Beach Boulevard for having

expired registration. Younan and Gallegos had a 15-year-old boy in the

car with them, Meza said.

After they were pulled over, police discovered that the El Monte

Police Department was seeking Younan and that he was considered to be

armed and dangerous. Police drew their guns and ordered Younan out of the

car. That’s when the pursuit began, Meza said.

El Monte Police Department Det. Dennis Miller said that Younan was set

to appear in El Monte’s Rio Hondo Court for a pretrial hearing related to

a domestic violence charge Wednesday.

Although El Monte police were not actively seeking Younan when he was

pulled over, his license had previously been flagged to show him as

someone who was considered armed and dangerous. He had told his

girlfriend that he would kill police officers if she called them again to

file domestic violence charges against him, Miller said. Police never

removed the warning.

Police believe the two, Younan and Gallegos, took turns driving during

the chase that ended at Willowbrook Avenue and El Segundo Boulevard, Meza

added.

The police are asking the District Attorney’s office to file felony

evasion charges as well as child endangerment charges, Meza said.

An arraignment date has not been set.