Behind the Badge
The Garden Grove PD arrested two suspected car thieves Tuesday afternoon, with assistance from the Orange PD, Santa Ana PD and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Driver Jesse Carranza, 20, and passenger Felipe Quiroz, 25, have been booked at Orange County Jail on suspicion of auto theft, possession of stolen property and evading arrest.
The arrests were made around 4:15 p.m. in the area of 1100 Town and Country in Orange.
The drama began when Garden Grove officers observed a stolen red Mitsubishi Galant waiting to enter the eastbound Garden Grove (22) Freeway at Euclid Street.
The vehicle entered the freeway and proceeded in heavy traffic to the Main Street off-ramp, where the driver exited and went southbound on Main, according to a news release from the Garden Grove PD.
As additional units from Orange and Santa Ana PD and the Orange County Sheriff’s helicopter (Duke) got into position to assist in stopping the vehicle, the car turned eastbound onto Town and Country and entered a parking lot at 1100 Town and Country.
The driver slowed down and then both the driver and passenger fled from the vehicle while it was still rolling, according to the news release.
The vehicle rolled into a parked FedEx truck, causing minor damage to that vehicle.
The passenger fled on foot and was located in the local area hiding in some bushes and taken into custody.
The driver fled into a multi-story building at 1100 Town and Country and went up to the fourth floor.
After announcements were made on the building’s emergency paging system, the suspect eventually tried to exit the building along with other occupants of the building.
He was quickly identified and taken into custody by officers covering the exits.
“Without all of our agencies working together on this incident, it is unlikely these suspects would have been apprehended,” Garden Grove Police Lt. Ben Stauffer said.
