Car pursuit on Laguna Canyon Road leads to arrest of teenagers, one still at large

Two teenagers were arrested on multiple charges by Laguna Beach police Sunday night after they — and a third suspect, still at large — allegedly stole a vehicle and attempted to evade officers.

Police said officers were notified of a stolen vehicle that was heading inbound toward the 2200 block of Laguna Canyon Road at around 9:24 p.m. Once they identified the car, police began pursuing it. It eventually came to a stop at Monterey and Jasmine streets, where two of the three occupants of the car fled the scene. The one who remained behind was arrested.

Officers said a helicopter and additional personnel from both the Irvine and Newport Beach police departments helped search for the other two suspects.

One suspect, an 18-year-old, was located nearby in the bushes and surrendered. The third occupant of the car is still at large.

The 18-year-old is currently in custody and faces both felony and misdemeanor charges. Those include unlawful taking of a vehicle, evading a peace officer and reckless driving, evading a peace officer while driving in the opposite direction of lawfully moving traffic, hit and run resulting in property damage, falsely representing himself to an officer and driving without a valid driver’s license.

He also faces two counts of possession of a controlled substance. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in an arraignment hearing Tuesday at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana and is due to appear in court again on Aug. 24.

The other teen in custody faces handgun-related charges.

Another traffic incident occurred on Laguna Canyon Road near the same area Saturday, leading to the death of Stefano Albano of Corona, who was struck when a vehicle made an unexpected U-turn.

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