Big Chase Part of 4 Car Theft Arrests

Police arrested four men on suspicion of car theft Friday after a chase through several cities that caused a minor traffic accident on the San Diego Freeway, authorities said.

The incident began at 1:40 p.m. when undercover Huntington Beach police officers tailed the four suspects from the Huntington Center Mall to South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, according to Huntington Beach Police Sgt. Jim Miller. The undercover team was assembled in response to a rash of recent car thefts of primarily pickup trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles in Huntington Beach, Miller said.

At South Coast Plaza, the undercover team allegedly witnessed one of the suspects steal a 1990 Dodge Ram Charger 4x4 truck, Miller said. When officers tried to arrest the man, the suspect in the truck sped away, shearing off the door of a Huntington Beach police car.

The suspect drove onto the northbound San Diego Freeway, where the truck struck another vehicle, Miller said. No one was hurt.

The chase ended on Beach Boulevard near Edinger Avenue, where the alleged car thief tried to escape running after the truck overturned. He was caught by Fountain Valley police, who assisted the Costa Mesa police in the chase.

Roberto Juarez, 28, of Compton was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and car theft, Miller said.

The other three suspects, Alfredo Romo, 26, of Lynwood; Raul Romo, 23, of Bloomington, Calif.; and Juan Arroyo, 31, whose address was unknown, were arrested at South Coast Plaza without incident, Miller said.