Overview
- Police began chasing a dirt bike rider just before 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday and pursued him for more than an hour across northeast and South Los Angeles before making an arrest around 6:45 p.m.
- The suspect was identified in booking records as 19-year-old Christian Fuentes and was charged with felony vandalism, vehicle theft, and felony evading.
- Helicopter and security video show the rider stopping at a gas station, using a phone to pay, then leaving with the pump nozzle torn from the dispenser.
- Footage also shows the rider cutting through parks, stopping to pour liquid from a large container into the bike’s tank in an apparent mid-chase refuel, and repeatedly riding near pedestrians without a helmet.
- The chase ended when the rider ditched the stolen dirt bike, tried to run on foot, hid in a blue recycling bin, surrendered to officers, and investigators said a gun was reported discarded early in the pursuit but has not been recovered.