A man stole a commercial van in Temple City Thursday before crashing it in Rosemead and fleeing from deputies, authorities said.
The incident began about noon when the car thief stole a work van from a laundry company in the 9000 block of Las Tunas Drive in Temple City and crashed into a parked car on his way out, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Mark Glatt said.
The thief, who was described only as a bald Latino man, was driving in the area of Temple City Boulevard and Lorica Street in Rosemead when he apparently became alarmed by a passing motorcycle deputy, the lieutenant said. The deputy did not know the van was stolen.
The car thief made a quick right turn onto Lorica Street, where he crashed into a fence and another parked car before fleeing on foot and jumping a fence into an industrial area, Glatt said.
Witnesses reported seeing the man driving away in a white Ford F-150 pickup truck, he said, though it was unclear if he stole the truck or had it parked as a getaway car. No one had reported a stolen truck from that area Thursday afternoon.