A man was arrested after allegedly leading officers on a short pursuit while driving a stolen car.
On Saturday, March 12, 2022, at about 12:11 p.m., a Seal Beach Police motorcycle officer attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation. The vehicle failed to yield and led officers on a brief pursuit through the Old Town neighborhood of Seal Beach.
The vehicle eventually came to a stop on 12th Street between Electric Avenue and Landing Avenue. The driver of the vehicle quickly exited the vehicle and began to act in an erratic manner, refusing to follow the orders of the police officers on scene.
Officers on scene used a Taser to take the suspect into custody without further incident. The driver was identified as Richard Ortiz, age 29, of Represa, California. Once the scene was safe, officers discovered the vehicle which Ortiz was driving had been stolen earlier that morning in Los Angeles.
Ortiz was arrested on suspicion of §496(d)(a) CPC, possession of a stolen vehicle, §148(a)(1), resist, delay, or obstruct a peace officer, §21806(a) CVC, failure to yield for an emergency vehicle, and other California Vehicle Code violations. He was later booked at the Orange County Jail.
The stolen vehicle was returned to the registered owner.
