Car theft is a crime that devastates communities. Sure, this is the case because people’s beloved vehicles go missing, but it’s also because of the destruction that some people do once they have another person’s car. Recently, a man in California stole a truck and then led police on a dangerous chase. Now he’s behind bars after crashing. 

Car theft often leads to people trying to run from a traffic stop

According to KTLA, a man in Bakersfield, California, woke up around 1:30 am on December 31 to the sound of his truck being started. Naturally, he checked and then saw that someone had taken it. In fact, he could even hear the sound of the exhaust as they were driving down his street. He then did what anyone would do after having become a victim of car theft, which was to call the police to report that someone had driven away in his black and white Ram truck. 

Luckily, the police were quick, and they soon spotted the target of the car theft and tried to make a traffic stop. As mentioned, the person behind the wheel refused to pull over, prompting a chase. This went on for a while but ended when the driver lost control and crashed into the concrete barrier on the road. He then tried to escape on foot, but he was unsuccessful. Of course, the police on the scene placed the man, Jose Loeza, 20, into handcuffs and took him into custody.

Following the traffic stop, the police charged him with car theft, reckless evading a peace officer, and obstructing and delaying a peace officer.