South Pasadena police officers chased a parolee from their town to Los Angeles Thursday and jailed him on suspicion of auto theft following a crash, officials said.
Police tried to pull over Ricardo Torres Penaloza, 26, just before 3:30 p.m. on the southbound 110 Freeway at Salonica Street, South Pasadena police Sgt. Robert Bartl said. Police described him as a a transient with a last known address in Los Angeles.
Penaloza allegedly fled from police in the car, which had been reported stolen, and crashed into a barrier and another car while trying to take the Avenue 60 offramp, Bartl said.
Police said Penaloza fled on foot and hid in a shed in a nearby apartment complex on Arroyo Drive in Los Angeles before he was found by South Pasadena and Los Angeles police, he said.
Penaloza was booked on suspicion of auto theft, hit-and-run, delaying or obstructing arrest, Bartl said. A replica handgun was found inside the stolen car.
Because he is a parolee, Penaloza was being held without bail, officials said.