Car-jackers on the loose after chase

According to the Porterville Police Department, an 80-year-old man was car-jacked this weekend, leading a trio of law enforcement agencies on a chase into the Strathmore area.

The suspects have not been apprehended.

At about 5:55 p.m. Sunday, Porterville officers responded to the 200 block of East Oak Avenue regarding the carjacking. Upon arrival, they contacted the confidential victim who reported that while he was retrieving items from his vehicle parked in his carport, an unidentified Hispanic male subject grabbed him.

According to the police report, the suspect then pushed him away from his vehicle, knocking him down.  The suspect subsequently took the victim’s vehicle keys and stole his vehicle.

Approximately six minutes later, an officer spotted the stolen vehicle near Plano Street and Reid Avenue, and attempted to stop it.  

The suspects led police officers on a car chase that ended in the Strathmore area. The suspects subsequently ran from the vehicle into a nearby orange grove in the 24300 block of Avenue 184, the police department reports.

After an extensive search by Porterville Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and CHP’s helicopter, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department, and Lindsay Police Department the suspects were not located.

Detectives with Porterville Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit were called to the scene and took over the investigation.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to contact Porterville Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit at 782-7414.

--Contact The Recorder newsroom at 784-5000, Ext. 1050.