Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

SOUTH PASADENA - A 16-year-old male was among three suspected catalytic converter thieves who received serious injuries after a horrific crash while escaping South Pasadena Police officers Thursday morning.

A patrol officer spotted a Lexus sedan with headlights off and no rear license plate suspiciously parked near a Toyota Prius in the 1600 block of Fremont Avenue Thursday, March 2. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle which fled south on Fremont, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

The vehicle was first spotted around 3:13 a.m.

The suspect driver reached speeds of 70 miles per hour while running multiple red lights. Officers decided to cancel the pursuit due to the suspect’s unsafe driving at Fremont Avenue and Alhambra Road, according to the south Pasadena Police Department.

In Alhambra, a patrol officer heard a loud crash, near Fremont Avenue and Orange Street and searched for the source, eventually finding the previously-pursued Lexus involved in a solo rollover crash near Fremont Avenue and Concord Avenue, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.

The suspects were identified as Cudahy resident Elmer Contreras Robinson, 28, Alberto Avitia, 25, from Huntington Park, and a 16-year-old male from Los Angeles.

SOUTH PASADENA - A Culver City man was arrested after he fled police through four cities and attempted to take refuge in a home December 17.

Police responded to a report of a suspect attempting to open vehicle doors and attempting to enter a home in the 1300 block of Chelten Way just after 8 a.m. The suspect left the scene at high speed and refused to stop for officers who tried to pull him over, according to the South Pasadena Police Department.