Police Car Rams Fleeing Van to Put an End to 20-Mile Chase

A police car rammed and overturned a van Tuesday to end a dramatic 20-mile chase from Ontario to Whittier, and moments later officers arrested three men.

Ivan Ochoa, 20, of Colton and Robert Arellano, 23, of Rialto, were arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle. George Saldivar Jr., 19, of Colton, was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto and evading arrest, Ontario Police Cpl. Linda Johnson said.

Shortly after noon, an Ontario police officer spotted the copper-colored 1988 Chevrolet van at Euclid Avenue near Carlton Street in Ontario, ran a check on the license plate and found the van was stolen, said Detective Dexter Thomas of the Ontario Police Department.

“About the same time, one of the passengers in the van tossed a handgun out the window,” Thomas said. “A citizen retrieved the gun and brought it to the Ontario Police Department.”

At 12:36 p.m. five patrol cars were dispatched and pursued the van. The pursuit ended at 1:17 p.m. in front of a residence at Hadley Street and Vanport Avenue, he said.