Crime & Safety
Driver Fled Police and Crash in El Monte
He told Police he fled "because he didn't have a driver's license,''
An El Monte man who led police on a 15-minute, high- speed chase that ended in a crash in El Monte was behind bars Saturday.
Vicente Bautista, 27, told police he fled "because he didn't have a driver's license,'' West Covina police Lt. Jerry Pearman said.
An officer noticed Bautista sitting in a Ford Expedition at or near Orange and Francisquito avenues shortly after 8 p.m. Friday, Pearman said.
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Bautista was out of the SUV by the time the cruiser circled back, he said.
As an officer exited the squad car, Bautista reached into his waistband, got back into the vehicle and sped off, Pearman said.
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The chase led south on Orange Avenue to Valley Boulevard and into El Monte, reaching speeds of 70-80 mph, Pearman said.
The chased ended when the SUV collided with another vehicle at Peck Road and Valley Boulevard, he said.
No one was injured in the crash, which Pearman called minor.
Bautista was booked on suspicion of felony evading and jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail, he said.
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