Big Rig Chase Challenges CHP Pursuit Tactics
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) - A big rig pursuit that started on Wednesday evening finally came to an end on Thursday morning.
The pursuit turned standoff lasted nearly 13 hours, when 22-year old Bryan Santana of Los Angeles stole the tractor-trailer and drove until the wheels literally fell off.
Beginning in Los Angeles County, Santana drove the stolen rig to Ventura County, back to Los Angeles County and into Orange County before coming to an end in Santa Ana.
The big rig was stolen at around 8:15 PM from Bell-based company Individual Food Service. Santana drove the vehicle until finally stopping in the middle of the Garden Grove Freeway in Santa Ana at about 4AM. He then refused to exit the cab of the truck, beginning a four-hour standoff with police. Santana eventually surrendered with no incident, after hours of negotiation.
His standoff halted traffic for hours, delaying thousands of driver's plans, many of whom were on their way to work in the early morning.
Law enforcement approached the situation with extreme caution, stating that many of their options were unavailable due to the circumstances in the event. They commented on their inability to execute a pit maneuver stating that the size of the vehicle caused too much threat for danger. They did deploy three separate sets of spike strips however.
Another issue was Santana's level of driving ability, especially in a big rig. Deputies were unsure if Santana had experience in maneuvering a vehicle of that size, increasing their need for caution.
Approximately 15 of the 18 tires came off during the pursuit, with some of the rims even getting ripped off the big rig as well.
Bryan Santana was arrested at approximately 8:30AM on Thursday morning in Santa Ana. He was booked with several charges.
There are no indications as to what the motive for the incident could be.
