Anaheim Officer Shoots Suspected Car Thief

Police shot and wounded a car theft suspect in Garden Grove on Tuesday evening after he led officers on a chase in a stolen sport-utility vehicle, authorities reported.

The suspect, whose name was not available, was in stable condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange, said Garden Grove Lt. Mike Hanfield.

The chase began when a California Highway Patrol officer spotted a reportedly stolen car on the southbound Santa Ana Freeway at Artesia Boulevard about 5:40 p.m., said CHP Officer Tariq Johnson.

The driver left the freeway in Anaheim and drove south on Beach Boulevard, where an officer in an Anaheim patrol car saw the chase and joined in, said Anaheim Sgt. Rick Martinez.

The suspect, who police said they believed was armed, continued through Anaheim, Stanton and Cypress, occasionally driving on sidewalks and on the wrong side of the street, before getting on the Garden Grove Freeway.

Authorities said the suspect was shot by an Anaheim police officer after he abandoned the SUV on the freeway and ran down an embankment near the Magnolia Street offramp.