Two Suspected Carjackers Arrested After Chase

LA HABRA — A pair of carjackers led La Habra and Whittier police on a chase through city streets that reached 70 mph Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The two men tried to kidnap a man at knifepoint about 5:35 p.m. in the parking lot of Mervyn’s in the Whittwood Mall in Whittier, Police Lt. Bill Heckel said. The man shoved one of his attackers and escaped; they then fled in his Toyota pickup truck, police said.

La Habra officers spotted the truck on Whittier Boulevard, but the driver refused to pull over and led officers on a chase down Euclid, Walnut and Idaho streets, and La Habra and Whittier boulevards, La Habra Police Lt. Wayne Lowry said.

The chase returned to Whittier, where the suspects finally stopped about 6:05 p.m. on Puesta Del Sol Drive, in the Friendly Hills area of town, Heckel said.

The passenger ran and was captured by a police dog, while the driver surrendered, police said. No information on the suspects was available Thursday night.

During high-speed chases, the officers involved are guided by supervisors at the station, who must balance safety concerns with the need to catch fleeing criminals, Lowry said. During Thursday’s pursuit, the suspects drove toward two field sergeants, one of whom was standing in the street trying to stop traffic, he said.