A man suspected of stealing a California Highway Patrol vehicle, then crashing it in a brushy field and fleeing on foot was taken into custody after a nearly two-hour search near the San Luis Rey River on Tuesday.
The wreck off state Route 76 and Gird Road in Fallbrook was reported shortly after 4 p.m., sheriff’s Lt. Robert Smith said.
Deputies and San Diego police helped CHP officers look for the thief by ground and in aircraft.
Shortly before 6 p.m., live shots from television news helicopters showed a man being taken into custody in a heavily overgrown area near where the patrol SUV was abandoned. The suspect appeared to already have handcuffs on when officers reached him.
It was not immediately clear where the cruiser was stolen, Smith said.
— City News Service
