Driver held for stealing cars and ramming police vehicles in California chase

A driver who stole several cars, rammed police vehicles and hit other cars has been arrested after an hour-long chase across southern California that ended in smoke, flames and gunshots.

The pursuit across two counties began about 5pm on Wednesday with reports of a car speeding erratically in Anaheim, Orange County.

After a while, the driver fled that car and stole a parked van, which was captured on video smashing several times into a Fullerton police cruiser that blocked it until the suspect managed to speed off.

The chase continued with the van side-swiping and rear-ending several cars as it sped and slid through street traffic before heading on to a freeway.

Andres Benitez told the station that he had just returned from work.

“I was just talking to my mom and we were having a normal conversation when I saw the back door open and it’s not supposed to open,” he said. The suspect came into the kitchen.

Mr Benitez said he grabbed a kitchen knife in order to defend his mother.

“I started redirecting him to the front door” but the man grabbed the car keys from the kitchen table. Mr Benitez said he cornered the suspect, who had a pair of scissors, and threatened to stab him as his mother tried to hold him back.

The family and the man wound up outside, where he stole the truck and sped away.

The pick-up eventually lost a front tyre but the driver continued to weave erratically through traffic in the Hacienda Heights area at high speed, hitting several cars and going through red lights.

The driver ended up at a petrol station after a Los Angeles County sheriff’s patrol car rammed the truck from behind.

By this point, more than a dozen patrol cars ringed the petrol station but the suspect still backed up and smashed into a patrol car, prompting authorities to fire several shots through the driver’s window.

Deputies with guns drawn surrounded the vehicle as smoke erupted from it, and then flames which were quickly doused with a fire extinguisher.

At last, deputies using a special shield came up to the car, smashed the driver’s window, opened the door and pulled out the driver, who was walked to a patrol car. It was unclear whether he was injured.