Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

CITRUS - Two men fled into a home Monday once they reached a dead end at the termination of a pursuit, but both surrendered after an hours-long barricade.

The driver of a black Kia Sorrento is a known gang member with a felony weapons warrant. Officers attempted to pull him over in Montebello, but he refused and led officers on a chase on surface streets, freeways and ended with a crash into the home near Azusa, according to Michael Chee, director of public affairs and information technology with Montebello.

The suspect was chased on to the northbound 605 freeway from the Whittier area just before 7 a.m. The pursuit took to the eastbound 210 freeway where the suspect exited onto Citrus Avenue in Azusa.

After virtually circling several neighborhoods, the driver stopped at a dead end at Rockvale Avenue just south of the 210 freeway. The driver and his female passenger fled on foot through a residential yard and into a home in the 6900 block of Cedarglen Drive.

The occupied home where the barricade took place was known to the driver, Chee told SGV CityWatch.

Family members arrived near the scene. A deputy shuttled them to a command post and phone contact was made with those inside the home in a plea to get them to surrender without any trouble.

Members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau arrived to get the suspects to surrender peacefully, which the suspects did.

The second suspect was arrested for an outstanding warrant, Chee told SGV CityWatch.

Two other occupants of the home were briefly detained, but not arrested.

Later in the day, Montebello detectives wrote and served a search warrant for the home where the suspects were barricaded and weapons were found, Chee told SGV CityWatch.

The suspects’ names were not readily available.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

​CITRUS - Two hours of negotiations led to the safe surrender of a man accused of grand theft auto and evading police Monday.

The suspect, who has yet to be booked by Sheriff’s deputies, climbed up a tall tree at the corner of East Payson Street and North Rockvale Avenue around 4:30 p.m. A little more than an hour before, He and a passenger evaded Upland officers who tried to stop them in a stolen vehicle.

The vehicle was stolen in Azusa the same day. Upland Police found the car at East Foothill Boulevard and North 2nd Avenue just after 3 p.m.

Upland officers ended their portion of the chase west on the 210 freeway at Fruit Street, according to Upland Police Sgt. Anthony Kabayan.

The California Highway Patrol kept the chase going, even on Azusa surface streets, but officers eventually cancelled the chase.

The suspects drove around erratically, almost aimlessly in the same area where the passenger was let out to take refuge in a home.

The driver stopped nearby after a front right tire gave way. He took refuge in the tree after running through neighborhoods.

Television news pilots alerted a Sheriff’s helicopter of the driver’s location, according to San Dimas Sheriff’s Station Lt. Mackenzie.

Kabayan had no information regarding some items the suspects tossed out during the chase, except for a hat discarded during the start of the chase.

The passenger has yet to be found.

The driver was hospitalized before being booked, Mackenzie said.

San Dimas detectives are working on identifying the passenger.