Several people landed in custody early Thursday morning after the reported theft of a catalytic converter led to a high-speed chase on an Oceanside thoroughfare, police officials said.
Shortly after 2 a.m., someone called to report a theft of the car part in progress on Blackberry Way, a residential neighborhood off state Route 76 and not far from Guajome Regional Park, police spokesperson Jennifer Atenza said.
When officers tried to stop two vehicles in the area, both sped off heading west down SR-76. Police gave chase.
Atenza said the speeds reached 100 mph, and police called off the pursuit for public safety reasons.
Before police pulled back, though, officers down the road had laid out spike strips across traffic lanes. The fleeing cars ran over the strips, disabling both vehicles near Loretta Street — more than seven miles from the site of the burglary and just a half mile from Interstate 5.
The people in the cars ran off toward the San Luis Rey riverbed, Atenza said. With help from the department’s drone team, officers found and arrested six people.
All were residents of Los Angeles County, she said.
One of the six people was a girl who had run away from home, and she was returned to her parents. The remaining five suspects — all adults — were arrested on suspicion of several charges, including grand theft.
Police also found two stolen catalytic converters as well as tools often associated with theft of the pricey car parts, Atenza said.