Pursuit

Motorcycle Rider Yanks Fuel Pump Out of Customer's Car During Pursuit Pit Stop

The chase started in the San Gabriel Valley and wound along streets and freeways at speeds well over 100 mph.

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An arrest was made Monday in Pasadena after a 90-minute high-speed motorcycle chase wound along streets and freeways and included a pit stop at a gas station for fuel when the rider yanked the pump handle from another customer's car at a 76 station.

The chase began about 11:10 a.m., when deputies from the sheriff's Norwalk Station tried to stop the motorcyclist for traffic violations, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The biker kept going, and authorities pursued him, but then transitioned to monitoring his progress by helicopter. At times, the motorcycle was going more than 100 mph, according to broadcast reports.

About noon, the suspect pulled into a gas station in Baldwin Park, where a motorist was putting gas into a vehicle. The motorcyclist pulled up to the motorist and used that person's gas nozzle to pump some gas into the motorcycle's tank, then sped off.

The motorcycle went onto the westbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway, onto the northbound San Gabriel River (605) Freeway and onto the westbound Foothill (210) Freeway.

About 12:30 p.m., the suspect exited the freeway and drove into a multi-story parking garage in Pasadena at Green Street and Los Robles Avenue.

The man hid in the garage before being found and arrested, said Lisa Derderian of the city of Pasadena.

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After the man was taken into custody, authorities summoned a bomb squad to the scene to make sure the parking garage was safe due to a concerning note that the motorcyclist left on the bike, Derderian said.

The immediate area around the parking garage was under evacuation orders, and it was unclear when evacuations might be lifted.

Details of the note left on the bike were not disclosed.

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