Injured Fugitive Found in Canyon After Car Crash
LOS ANGELES — After leading police on a chase in the Sunland-Tujunga area, a Norwalk man wanted for allegedly threatening to set his girlfriend on fire was arrested after he was found Tuesday lying in a canyon.
Carlos Vasquez, 30, was taken to County-USC Medical Center after a search and rescue team found him about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday lying 400 feet below where he had hopped over a guardrail, said Lt. Rick Papke of LAPD’s Foothill Division.
On Nov. 22, Vasquez’s girlfriend--a 20-year-old who is pregnant--called police after he allegedly beat her, doused her with gasoline and threatened to set her on fire, Papke said. But the suspect fled before police could capture him.
About 8:30 p.m. Monday, Foothill patrol officers spotted Vasquez in a 1984 Chevy Camaro heading eastbound on Foothill Boulevard, near Mount Gleason Avenue, police said. They tried to get him to stop, but police said the suspect sped off, leading to a 10-minute car chase.
The suspect drove into a hilly area on Big Tujunga Canyon Road and then crashed his car. He dashed away and hopped over a guardrail into a ravine below, Papke said.
Vasquez suffered from a fractured pelvis, back injuries and numerous cuts and bruises, an LAPD spokeswoman said.
Vasquez is expected to be booked on suspicion of felony domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, felony evading and felony hit and run.
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