BUENA PARK : Holdup Suspect Held After Chase, Crash

A 17-year-old youth suspected of robbing a convenience store Monday was arrested after driving a stolen vehicle off a freeway embankment during a chase by police, authorities said.

The suspect, whose name was withheld because of his age, was treated for minor injuries and released to police custody. A passenger, Brian David Hall, 19, is in critical but stable condition at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Officer Richard McMillen said. Both suspects are from Corona, he said.

Police responded to a robbery call from the Circle K market on Stanton Avenue near Manchester Boulevard at about 4:15 a.m. today, McMillen said. The manager of the store said about $60 was taken. Witnesses said the robbers drove off in a white Ford.

A vehicle matching that description entered the Riverside Freeway westbound from Beach Boulevard and was spotted by police shortly after the incident. The driver of the Ford refused to stop for police, and a chase reaching speeds of 90 m.p.h. ensued, McMillen said.

The pursuit lasted less than five minutes and ended with the Ford driving off an embankment near the 1700 block of Ardmore Avenue in the city of Bellflower, he said.

The youth was in Juvenile Hall after being booked for suspicion of robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle, and Hall will be booked for the same crimes when he is released by the hospital, police said.