Last Updated on January 9, 2023 by CCAR Staff
POMONA >> Deputies and police arrested an alleged drunken driver who led a deputy on a chase from Walnut to Pomona before crashing his pickup truck into another car and fleeing the scene, authorities said.
The incident began about 6:20 p.m. when a deputy tried to pull over a suspected drunken driver in a Dodge pickup truck in the area of Temple and Bonita avenues, near Mt. San Antonio College, Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lt. Joseph Badali said.
The driver refused to pull over, leading the deputy on a short chase before colliding with another car along Temple Avenue, just west of Valley Boulevard, just across the city border in Pomona, the lieutenant said.
Deputies called off the pursuit following the collision, he said. At least one person inside the car struck by the fleeing suspect was hurt, though the injuries were not believed to be serious.
Badali said the suspect then continued driving and parked his truck at a nearby gas station. The suspect was apprehended nearby on foot.
Deputy Tomas Navarrete said Luis Javier Luna, 33, of Pomona was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence, hit-and-run with injury and evading police. Luna is being held the Sheriff’s Walnut/Diamond Bar station on $50,000 bail, he added.
Investigators at the crash scene took measurements around a sedan spun the wrong way in eastbound lanes of Temple Avenue with significant damage toward the rear end.
Luna will be arraigned Friday at Pomona Superior Court.
