Suspect Leads San Diego Police on 45-Minute, 35 Mile High-Speed Chase in Stolen Ford Pickup
- June 11, 2012
- recovery stories
When the owners of a 2004 Ford F-150 pickup truck discovered that their vehicle had been stolen, they reported the theft to the Oceanside Police Department. It was the police’s routine entry of the Ford’s information into the nationwide law enforcement stolen vehicle computer system that automatically activated the LoJack transponder concealed in the vehicle. Neither the owners nor law enforcement agents had to do anything else to activate the LoJack Network, as LoJack’s interface with the police is both seamless and instantaneous.
Less than 15 minutes later, San Diego County Sheriff’s ground units and a San Diego County Sheriff’s helicopter began to pick up the Ford’s silent homing signal on the LoJack Police Tracking Computers (PTCs) installed in their patrol cars and aircraft. Following the PTC’s directional signals, the officers located the Ford being driven on a city street in the city of Vista. As the deputy attempted a traffic stop, the suspect accelerated and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit lasted forty-five minutes, was thirty five miles long and covered three cities. The suspect finally stopped the Ford F-150 after sustaining a flat right front tire. The driver was placed under arrest for possession of a stolen vehicle, evading a peace officer, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
This Ford F-150 had been installed with the LoJack Vehicle Recovery System eight years earlier in San Diego, California. The current owners were happy that their vehicle had LoJack and had been recovered undamaged.