Man targeted by home thieves who led a chase through Southern California

Two suspects who led police on a lengthy chase through Orange and Los Angeles counties on Wednesday are allegedly connected to a home invasion robbery in Rancho Cucamonga.

The male victim, whose identity is to remain anonymous, visited a Chase bank on Tuesday and withdrew approximately $2,000 in cash from the ATM for a birthday party.

He drove to his parents’ house in Rancho Cucamonga, entered the house and left the cash in the car.

Suddenly he heard his car alarm go off.

“He said, ‘As soon as I sat down (inside the house), I heard the alarm go off,'” the victim’s mother recalled. “He said, ‘My car was broken into! I ran out and saw that no one was near my car.'”

A camera on the doorbell of a nearby house caught the suspects’ white SUV speeding away before the victim could catch up.

“Using video surveillance at the home, they were able to piece together what had happened and spotted a white SUV, which happened to be the Audi,” said Maria Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

Around 10 a.m. Wednesday morning, Costa Mesa police officers discovered the white Audi SUV with the license plates stolen in Riverside.

The suspects refused to stop and led officers on a lengthy chase, reaching speeds of over 100 mph and dangerously weaving through traffic on the highway and country roads.

Rancho Cucamonga officers noticed the SUV and immediately contacted Costa Mesa police, alerting them that the car might be the same one used in the home invasion robbery.

“And in fact, it was determined that it was the car we had seen the day before at Rancho Cucamonga’s fall,” Rodriguez said.

At some point during the chase, the driver stopped, got out, and turned himself in to police. However, the passenger suddenly jumped into the driver’s seat and sped away while the chase continued.

The car was later abandoned in Hawthorne and found by police, but the suspect was nowhere to be found.

The victims said they were happy that one of the suspects was caught, but hoped the second suspect would be found soon before another person became a victim.

“We were lucky because no one was hurt,” said the victim’s mother. “But the money was gone and it was not a nice day for any of us.”

Detectives are examining the SUV in the hope of finding evidence that will lead investigators to the fugitive suspect.

Anyone with information about the incident can call Rancho Cucamonga Police at 909-941-1488.