Local News in Brief : Youth Held in Pacoima Chase in Stolen Truck

It took a 15-year-old boy less than five minutes to amass as many as 20 traffic-related and criminal violations while fleeing from police in a stolen pickup truck through a shopping center and residential areas in Pacoima, Los Angeles police reported Sunday.

The boy, who was not identified because of his age, was arrested at 10:30 p.m. Saturday on suspicion of auto theft after being chased by a police officer on a motorcycle at speeds exceeding 70 m.p.h., Lt. Alan Kerstein said.

The chase started when the officer attempted to stop the pickup after it went through a stop sign on Oneida Avenue at Van Nuys Boulevard, Kerstein said. The truck pulled over, but when the officer got off the motorcycle and approached the vehicle, the driver sped away, he said.

The chase lasted five minutes and covered about three miles of residential streets and main thoroughfares, including one jaunt through a shopping plaza’s parking lot in which pedestrians had to scatter to avoid the pickup, police said.

“He was speeding, running red lights, evading police, endangering people--there were more than 20 Vehicle Code violations,” Kerstein said.

The boy abandoned the pickup near Woodman Avenue and Osborne Street and ran into a nearby restaurant, Kerstein said. The boy’s 7-year-old sister, who had been in the pickup during the chase, followed him into the restaurant, as did police. Kerstein said officers learned that the pickup had been stolen earlier in North Hollywood.

The girl was turned over to her parents, police said. The boy remained in custody Sunday at San Fernando Valley Juvenile Hall in Sylmar. Kerstein said prosecutors will decide whether to charge him with the traffic violations and felony child endangerment, in addition to auto theft.