A stolen U-Haul truck erupted into flames on live television as its driver attempted to evade authorities Tuesday morning.
An hours-long pursuit that made its way through Los Angeles and Orange counties ended shortly before 7:00 a.m.
Buena Park Police began following the truck around 4:52 a.m. when the truck was reported stolen.
News reports indicate that the truck contained HVAC equipment, a motorcycle and other items.
During the pursuit, the driver reached speeds up to 70 mph.
Per KNBC-TV:
At about 6:13 a.m., the driver exited Euclid Street in the Fullerton area before getting back onto the 91 Freeway heading westbound.
Video from NewsChopper 4 Alpha showed the front tires of the U-Haul truck had been blown out, possibly due to a spike strip that had been deployed by CHP on the freeway as the pursuit headed back to Buena Park. At one point, the U-Haul truck was traveling at speeds of approximately 55-70 MPH before considerably slowing down to 15-25 MPH after the tire damage.
Shortly before 7 a.m., flames engulfed the right front of the U-Haul truck with heavy black smoke, forcing the driver to exit in Bellflower and abandon the burning U-Haul in the area of Beach Street and Bellflower Boulevard.
The name of the driver was not available at press time.
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