SANTA ANA : Chase Ends in Head-On Collision

Police arrested a 40-year-old Santa Ana man Tuesday after he allegedly stole a pickup truck and led them on a wild chase through morning traffic that ended in a head-on collision.

Jesse James Elizalde faces stolen-vehicle charges in connection with the 9 a.m. chase through downtown Santa Ana, Police Lt. Bob Helton said.

Helton said an officer in a patrol car cruising along Bristol Street in north Santa Ana spotted a 1990 Chevrolet pickup truck that had been reported stolen.

When the officer tried to stop the car, the driver sped off southbound on Bristol, Helton said. The chase, which reached speeds of up to 90 m.p.h. on the busy streets, lasted for more than a mile, with the fleeing driver weaving in and out of traffic to elude police.

At Civic Center Drive, Elizalde attempted to escape from police by cutting into the northbound lane of Bristol and avoiding slow-moving traffic, Helton said.

But he lost control of the truck, struck a curb on the east side of Bristol and careened into oncoming traffic, Helton said. The truck then slammed head-on into a car driven by Mark Finley, 42, of Santa Ana.

Finley said he was on his way home after dropping off his daughter at a nearby nursery school and was making a right turn from Civic Center Drive onto Bristol when the pickup truck slammed into him.

“I’m sure I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” Finley said.

Finley was not injured in the crash, but his car was demolished.

Helton said Elizalde suffered a bloody nose and other minor injuries in the crash. He was being held in County Jail on an unspecified amount of bail.