GLENDORA — Two Inland Valley men crashed a stolen pickup truck early Sunday following a high-speed chase and theft spree in Glendora, police said.
Michael Anthony Valadez, 23, of Ontario and Jonathan Daniels Demay, 22, of Upland, were booked on suspicion of a series of crimes including auto theft, theft, evading police and auto burglary, according to Glendora police and Los Angeles County booking records.
The incident began just after midnight when someone called police from the 900 block of South Fuchsia Avenue to report the theft of gasoline cans, Glendora police Lt. Rob Lamborghini said.
The witness described the suspects’ white pickup truck, which was later determined to have been reported stolen in Ontario.
A Glendora police officers spotted the truck in the area of Grand Avenue and Baseline Road, and a pursuit began when the driver of the truck refused to pull over, the lieutenant said.
After leading police on a chase on surface streets in excess of 80 mph while blowing through red lights, the truck headed onto the westbound freeway with officers in pursuit, Lamborghini said.
The truck exited the freeway at Vernon Avenue in Azusa at high speed.
“It ended up driving over the center divider on Vernon and crashed into a soundwall on the opposite side of the street,” Lamborghini said. But the men got out of the badly damaged truck and ran.
Glendora and Azusa police set up a search perimeter, with help from a K-9 provided by El Monte police, Lamborghini said.
One of the suspects was found hiding inside a parked car, police said, while the other was found walking on the grounds of a nearby business.
Police discovered that in addition to the gasoline can theft, the men were allegedly responsible for two other thefts in Glendora that occurred just before the pursuit.
Lamborghini said Valadez and Demay were linked to an auto burglary in the 2300 block of Club Vista Drive and the theft of golf clubs in the 400 block of West Larkspur Lane.
Valadez, who was on Postrelease Community Supervision and had an outstanding warrant for his arrest, was being held without bail, booking records show. Demay was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.
Both suspects were scheduled to appear for arraignment Tuesday in West Covina Superior Court.