Foothill Blvd. Scene of Car Chase, Crash, 3-Hour Police Search

By City News Service

A suspected car thief led police on a short pursuit in Tujunga before crashing the car and bailing out, disappearing into the night despite a 3-hour search, police said.

The pursuit began at Foothill Boulevard and Valmont Street around 11:20 p.m. Sunday when officers spotted the car with a Michigan plate stolen from Las Vegas, said Lt. Brian Bixler of the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Station.

"He fled one block before he tried to make a left-hand turn, crashed through a fence in a front yard and hit a tree," Bixler said.

The man fled on foot, leaving a woman passenger with minor injuries in the stolen car, he said.

Police set up a perimeter in the area and scoured the area with police dogs but called off the search around 3 a.m., Bixler said.

The woman was treated for her injuries and released to police who booked her for an outstanding warrant, he said.

The car theft suspect could be identified shortly "because he left a lot of fingerprints behind in the car," Bixler said before dawn.