Girl, 12, Takes Vehicle, Leads Police on Wild Ride

BREA — A 12-year-old Brea girl who took her parents’ 1990 Jeep Cherokee without permission led police on a wild joy ride early Sunday morning that ended when she crashed into an apartment complex in El Monte, police said.

Neither the girl nor her 14-year-old boyfriend, who was a passenger, was injured, Brea Police Sgt. Rueben Hernandez said. No injuries were reported at the apartment complex.

The incident began about 1:25 a.m. when the girl’s parents reported the car missing, Hernandez said. “She has apparently run away in the past, and they realized she was gone and reported it,” he said.

Brea officers spotted the Jeep about 3:40 a.m. at the intersection of Yorba Linda Boulevard and Ohio Street and tried to stop the driver for speeding. The Jeep failed to stop despite the officer’s siren and flashing lights and continued west on Yorba Linda at speeds in excess of 70 mph.

The Jeep passed through Placentia and traveled north on the Orange Freeway at 95 mph, police said. At that point, officers began to follow the Jeep “at a safe distance” at slower speeds and obtained assistance from a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department helicopter.

The girl turned west on the Pomona Freeway, exited at Santa Anita Boulevard and traveled north on surface streets. About 4:30 a.m., Hernandez said, the girl “blew an intersection” and crashed into the outer wall of the apartment in El Monte.

The girl, who offered no explanation for the joy ride, was taken to Orange County Juvenile Hall, Hernandez said. Her boyfriend was released to his parents.