A Pico Rivera man took authorities on a short pursuit Friday through several San Gabriel Valley cities, leading to several crashes and injuries to a police officer, authorities said.
An El Monte police officer was hospitalized for minor injuries from a crash, but was expected to return home Friday evening, said Lt. Christopher Cano with the El Monte Police Department.
The suspect, Mario Antonio Placentia, 42 was arrested after the chase and was held on suspicion of attempted murder on a police officer, carjacking, felony hit and run, and evading a police officers.
At about 4:28 p.m., the El Monte officer was on patrol and ran the plates of a gray Lexus SUV, Cano said. After realizing the car had recently been stolen in the area, the officer tried to stop the vehicle. The pursuit began once the suspect continued to drive along Santa Anita Avenue, speeding onto the 10 Freeway and headed west.
For the next 14 minutes, the suspect zigzagged on and off the 10 Freeway, exiting in Rosemead, Alhambra, and San Gabriel, hitting several cars in the process, Cano said. At one point, the suspect crashed the SUV on a side street, possibly into a curb. As an El Monte officer parked behind the SUV, the suspect reversed into the police cruiser then drove away.
While the chase continued, the same El Monte officer who attempted to stop the suspect crashed into a light pole in San Gabriel, suffering minor injuries. Paramedics transported the officer to a local hospital.
The suspect made his way into Rosemead and parked the car at a home in the 4000 block of Muscatel Avenue, Cano said. A California Highway Patrol helicopter spotted the suspect, giving the location to officers who eventually arrested the man in the 8700 block of Valley Boulevard.
