An Azusa police pursuit that began with a report of a drunk driver stretched across nearly eight miles of city streets and freeways before ending in a fiery rollover crash at the intersection of Azusa Avenue and San Gabriel Canyon Road early Sunday morning. The suspect was arrested after refusing to climb out of the burning vehicle, and authorities say he now faces felony charges tied to the chase and his behavior during the arrest.
The chain of events started late Saturday night, when Azusa officers responded to a call near Cerritos Avenue and Gladstone Street about a possible drunk driver, according to CBS Los Angeles. Officers told the station the initial report came in around 11:55 p.m. Officers located the vehicle a few blocks away near Foothill Boulevard and tried to pull the driver over, but he did not stop, kicking off a pursuit that wound through Azusa and onto several freeways.
Chase Ends at the Edge of the Canyon
The pursuit covered almost eight miles before ending at the intersection of Azusa Avenue and San Gabriel Canyon Road, where the vehicle rolled over, per the same report. State Route 39 is a winding mountain highway that climbs roughly 5,000 feet from Azusa into the Angeles National Forest toward Crystal Lake, according to PBS SoCal. The route continues from Azusa's city streets into winding mountain terrain.
The crash left the car engulfed in flames, and police said the suspect refused to exit despite officers' orders. Azusa PD officers said he was eventually pulled from the vehicle and taken into custody. He was later medically cleared at a nearby hospital for unspecified injuries, and no other injuries were reported from the incident, which remains under investigation.
Felony Charges Tied to Chase and Arrest
The suspect was booked on felony evading and on suspicion of attempting to disarm a police officer during his apprehension, per the report. Felony reckless evading under California Vehicle Code Section 2800.2 requires prosecutors to show a suspect fled a pursuing officer with willful or wanton disregard for safety, an offense that carries a potential sentence of 16 months, two years, or three years in state prison, according to the Law Office Of Nic Cocis. To sustain that charge, prosecutors must also establish that the pursuing patrol vehicle displayed a lighted red lamp and sounded its siren as reasonably necessary, per the Shouse Law Group.
The attempt to disarm an officer adds a separate and serious layer of exposure. Under California Penal Code Section 148(d), attempting to remove or seize a firearm from a peace officer performing official duties is a felony or wobbler offense, according to Eisner Gorin LLP, a charge that escalates well beyond standard resisting arrest.
Pursuits Remain a Statewide Safety Concern
The Azusa chase adds to a long list of California pursuits that end in collisions rather than routine stops. Statewide, law enforcement agencies recorded 11,985 police pursuits in 2022, and 2,275 of them, or 19%, ended in a crash, according to California Highway Patrol data mandated under Senate Bill 719. Of those pursuit-related crashes, 798 resulted in injuries and 32 resulted in fatalities, claiming 34 lives across the state that year.
State lawmakers introduced the Next Gen Road Safety Act this year to help local departments fund alternatives to high-speed chases, including tire-snagging grapplers, tracking drones, and vehicle-disabling systems, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Sunday's pursuit began with a report of a driver suspected of being under the influence, then ended far from routine, with a burning car near the intersection of Azusa Avenue and San Gabriel Canyon Road and a suspect now facing felony charges.
