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Stolen big rig goes up in flames as suspect runs away from police during pursuit

CBS News Live
CBS News Los Angeles Live

A stolen big rig led officers on a cross-county pursuit before bursting into flames near Rancho Cucamonga.

The big rig was stolen at a Bakersfield gas station. While the driver was filling the tank with fuel, someone hopped into the truck and drove away with it. 

Officers seemed to have found it on SR-14 which connects Los Angeles to the Mojave Desert. 

The driver continued into LA County through the I-5 Freeway before getting onto CA-134 eastbound toward the I-210 Freeway.

For some reason, the truck's cab shook several times during the pursuit. 

With little to no traffic blocking the roadway, the suspect continued to lead officers out of the San Fernando Valley and into the San Gabriel Valley. 

Officers deployed a set of spike strips once the suspect got close to Claremont. The spikes punctured both of the front tires with one of them shredding off the rim and flying into the air. 

The suspect continued to drive through Ontario and started to weave through lanes at a relatively slow speed. After a while, the suspect sped up to 50 mph, which caused sparks to fly from both sides of the cab. 

sparks.jpg
Sparks fly from the stolen big rig. KCAL News

The truck caught on fire shortly after as the suspect ran away. 

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The big rig caught on fire after losing all of the tires on the front wheels. KCAL News

He hopped over a wall adjacent to the freeway and tried to lose officers in an apartment complex. However, they caught up to him and arrested him shortly after.

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