Two men, one from Pomona, led El Monte police on a car chase for more than an hour Friday, traversing several San Gabriel Valley cities before surrendering in La Puente. The two suspects, driver Alvaro Montes, 19, of El Monte and passenger David Padilla, 27, of Pomona, were arrested and booked at El Monte City Jail on suspicion of grand theft auto and evading arrest, said Lt. Michelle States.
No one was hurt in the incident, which began at about 10:30 a.m. when officers tried to stop an early 1990s model Honda Accord for a traffic violation near Ramona Boulevard and Durfee Avenue, El Monte police Agent Raul Linn said.
Police dispatchers notified the officers the car had been reported stolen. When the driver failed to yield, the chase was on. Police got a lucky break about 20 minutes into the chase when a detective who happened to be in the area was able to deploy a spike strip under the vehicle, blowing out two of its tires.
"He was out there on other (police) business, and it worked out beautifully," said Linn. But the blown tires didn't deter the driver. The chase, which took place mostly on surface streets with the exception of a brief stretch on the 10 Freeway, reached speeds
Along the way the suspects tossed out several items of clothing, a hat and a jewelry box. They were also seen waving at pursuing police and media helicopters and flashing gang signs at passers-by. After heading through parts of Baldwin Park, Temple City, El Monte and Industry, the chase finally ended just before noon on Valley Boulevard in La Puente between Hacienda and Azusa avenues.
The chase drew at least four El Monte police squad cars, along with units from the Baldwin Park Police Department and the Los Angeles County sheriff's Industry station. States said no weapons were found in the vehicle, and police were investigating whether the suspects have any gang affiliations. At the site of the chase's conclusion, officers examining the stolen car found what appeared to be marijuana in the front seat.
Linn said drug paraphernalia was found in the car. Sylvia Lopez, an El Monte resident, saw the stolen car go by her home and followed it in her own car, using hovering helicopters and news reports as a guide. "It got us all pumped up; it put El Monte on the map," said Lopez, who brought her cousins and 3-year-old boy along for the ride.
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