UPDATED at 5 p.m. Nov. 8:
A shoplifting suspect led Murrieta police on a 17-mile chase to Lake Elsinore before police elected to terminate the pursuit, Patch confirmed.
According to Murrieta police Sgt. Dave Baca, a shoplifting was reported by 25080 Hancock Ave. at 1:28 p.m.
"(The suspect) loaded up shopping cart of miscellaneous toiletries and walked out of the store and didn’t make any effort to pay for it," Baca told Patch.
The suspect, a Hispanic man between 35 and 45 years old, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 165 pounds, reportedly got into a tan Chevy Silverado pick-up truck with paper plates, Baca said.
Nearby patrol units began looking for the truck, and Baca said he saw one that fit the description parked on a neighborhood street not far from CVS.
"...Somebody ducked behind the driver seat, and that type of movement showed they did not want to be seen by me," Baca said.
As he pulled closer, Baca said the driver, a woman, drove onto Hancock Avenue.
"They drove away...She continued driving at slow rate of speed—about 30 miles per hour," Baca said.
The suspects turned right onto Murrieta Hot Springs Road, he confirmed, and then onto northbound Interstate 15.
The truck continued to travel at slower speeds, he said, when he noticed movement in the back seat of the pick-up truck.
"They switched drivers," Baca said, noting the truck then picked up speed along I-15 until the suspects exited onto eastbound Highway 74 in Lake Elsinore.
"The Murrieta Police Department elected to terminate the pursuit at 1:54 p.m.," Baca said. "The vehicle and the suspects are still outstanding and the loss is $150 worth of toiletries."
Baca said police are reviewing surveillance video from CVS. The truck is a newer model tan Chevy Silverado double cab with white paper plates, he said.
Anyone with information that could assist in the investigation was asked to call the Murrieta Police Department at 951-696-3615.
"They know we are looking for them," Baca said.
UPDATE:
Murrieta police reportedly exited Interstate 15 onto eastbound Highway 74 as of 1:54 p.m.
The driver of the tan Chevy Silverado double-cab pick-up truck may be a Hispanic male in his mid-30s. A female passenger was also in the truck, police scanner activity indicated.
The truck reportedly had paper plates.
A Riverside County Sheriff's helicopter was called to assist in pursuing the driver.
ORIGINAL POST:
Murrieta police were in pursuit of a suspect on northbound Interstate 15.
The chase began at about 1:38 p.m. Thursday when a Murrieta officer attempted to pull the driver over on Hancock Avenue, according to police scanner activity.
The driver of a tan Chevy Silverado truck traveled south on Hancock, west on Murrieta Hot Springs and then north on Interstate 15.
As of 1:48 p.m., the driver was going about 80 mph and had just passed Diamond Drive in Lake Elsinore, radio activity indicated.
Murrieta police had requested assistance from California Highway Patrol and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
At least four Murrieta police units were reportedly assigned to the pursuit.
