Felony Charges Filed Against Suspect Accused Of Stealing Hearse With Body Inside, Leading Police On Pursuit

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Felony charges were filed against a 25-year-old man Monday after he was accused of stealing a Lincoln Navigator hearse with a woman's body inside and leading police on a pursuit.

James Juarez was expected to be arraigned Monday afternoon on one count each of fleeing a peace officer's vehicle while driving recklessly and driving or taking a vehicle without consent.

Juarez allegedly stole a 2017 black Lincoln Navigator that was parked outside of St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Church in unincorporated Pasadena on Feb. 26. The hearse had a casket with the female's body in the back.

The next morning, Juarez was said to have been driving the hearse when he led police on a pursuit that ended in a wreck during rush hour on the 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles.

The short pursuit started at 7:43 a.m. near USC, at Exposition Boulevard and Figueroa Street, when someone spotted the stolen Navigator and called 911. Responding Los Angeles police officers gave chase. The pursuit ended within about a minute when the Navigator crashed on the southbound 110 Freeway near the Vernon Avenue exit.

The casket containing the body was found in the crashed vehicle, the sheriff's department said.

Sources told CBSLA that prior to the theft Wednesday, the woman's body was being transported from the company's funeral home in Orange County to its Arcadia location. While en route, the driver was told there were flowers in the SUV that needed to be dropped off at St. Anthony's church.

So the driver parked in front of the church - with the keys still inside - and delivered the flowers. When he came back out, he found the Navigator was gone.

If convicted as charged, Juarez faces a maximum sentence of more than three years in prison, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)