Teen takes cops on highspeed chase

by Mindy Aguon

Guam - A 17-year-old is confined at the Department of Youth Affairs after leading police on a hot pursuit this morning resulting in several car crashes including one that involved a civilian police reservist. Police officers from three precincts were involved in trying to apprehend a teenager who had stolen a small flat bed truck and led them on a hot pursuit.

Guam Police Department Spokesperson Officer A.J. Balajadia says the chase began just after 5:30 this morning when the owner of the truck contacted police, saying he was following the vehicle. "He spotted that vehicle being driven on Santo Papa next to the reflection center. Officers were able to intercept with that vehicle on Santo Papa and Aspinall next to the precinct. They followed him up to O'Brien next to Tenth Street and then out onto Marine Drive near Pigo Cemetery where the operator of that vehicle attempted to hit the patrol car," he explained.

Fresh black tire marks were evident on the road near the cemetery entrance along with spray painted markers of where the pursuit occurred. But the teenage driver continued his getaway leading police up Marine Corps Drive toward the Kmart intersection in Tamuning. Balajadia continued, "The individual operating the stolen vehicle squeezed in between a sedan and a tour bus, colliding with both of them, and then continued to proceed up the road toward Adrian Sanchez where he hit a fence near the game room up there."

But the teen wasn't about to let a fence and retaining wall stop him, so he drove back out onto Marine Corps Drive and headed north.  The pursuit would end at an intersection by Route 3 where the teen encountered some traffic and couldn't avoid police any longer. "Officers did approach him at the vehicle, however, he was not complying with the officers and he was forcibly removed from the vehicle," the spokesman noted. "An officer had to jump into the vehicle and take control of that vehicle so that it wouldn't cause damage or injury to anybody there at the intersection."

The teen, a boy, was taken into custody and the stolen vehicle was returned to the owner. "It appears preliminarily that he may have been drinking and he will be facing additional charges. He will be turned over to Juvenile Investigations where he will be charged and then turned over and confined at DYA," Balajadia said.

A civilian police reservist was also involved in a collision while responding to the hot pursuit.  He was taken to the hospital and treated for minor injuries. GPD's Highway Patrol Division is investigating the cause of that collision. 

The charges against the minor have not yet been released.