Stabbing, carjacking, kidnapping, chase, 100-foot plunge in stolen patrol car — Santa Clarita man accused of one-man crime spree

As the Associated Press details below, sheriff’s deputies had their hands full Friday with a man accused of a rampage that started with the stabbing of his own mother and ended with the fiery crash of a stolen sheriff’s patrol car and a fight with deputies. In between — carjacking, kidnapping, hit-and-run and a chase. And all within about an hour:

SANTA CLARITA — A man stabbed his mother Friday, carjacked a car with a 4-year-old boy inside and crashed and was arrested only after he tumbled 100-feet down an embankment in a stolen sheriff’s patrol car and fought with deputies, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
The suspect, identified as Aaron Clay Tanner, 30, of Santa Clarita, stabbed his mother several times and pushed her out of their car on State Route 14 near the Mission Hills area of Los Angeles, sheriff’s Capt. Michael Parker said. He then drove to Newhall where he allegedly crashed into another vehicle in a parking lot and fled.
Deputies were called to the scene on a report of a hit-and-run. When deputies arrived, a woman told them she had been assaulted, her PT Cruiser had been stolen and her 4-year-old son who was in the car had been kidnapped, Parker said. The suspect also had collided with another driver in the parking lot before stealing the PT Cruiser, injuring the driver, Parker said.
A deputy spotted the PT Cruiser about four miles away. The suspect had rear-ended another vehicle, then backed into a tree, Parker said. As the deputy ran to rescue the child, who was still in the crashed car, the suspect somehow got into the deputy’s patrol car and took off.
Deputies spotted the stolen patrol car and began pursuing the suspect. The suspect crashed the patrol car into a 4-foot-high block wall, went over an embankment and down a 100-foot drop. The car rolled several times and came to rest at the bottom of the drop where it caught fire.
As the deputies rushed to reach the suspect, they saw him reach for a shotgun which had been dislodged from the burning car, Parker said.
The suspect fought with and bit deputies as they tried to take him into custody, Parker said. Deputies used a stun gun on the suspect and he was ultimately arrested.
The entire sequence of events took place in less than an hour, Parker said.
The child was seat-belted in the PT Cruiser and received only minor injuries from the crash, Parker said. The child’s mother was treated at a hospital for injuries to her face.
The suspect’s mother was stabbed multiple times in the upper body, but her injuries
were believed to be non-life threatening, Parker said.
Tanner was taken to a hospital for his injuries suffered during the crashes and fight with deputies and is listed in serious condition, Parker said. He will be booked on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping, carjacking, attempted carjacking, auto theft, assault with a deadly weapon and felony hit-and-run with injuries.
Several deputies also were treated for various injuries, including bites they received on the legs and hands while handcuffing the suspect.

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