Four people suspected of stealing a catalytic converter were taken into police custody Thursday following a high-speed chase in Oceanside.
Around 2 a.m., police were notified that a catalytic converter was stolen by someone driving a black Ford Fusion without license plates, according to authorities. Officers spotted the black sedan and when police attempted to pull the vehicle over, the driver sped onto westbound state Route 76, officials said.
The pursuit reached speeds up to 100 mph, which caused law enforcement to use a spike strip, according to police.
After the spike strip was successfully deployed, officers found the vehicle abandoned off SR-76, investigators said.
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Officers found several catalytic converters inside of the car, and a short time later, four people were found hiding in a nearby riverbed, according to police.
Police then detained the four individuals.
Earlier this week, three suspects allegedly interrupted in the act of stealing a vehicle's catalytic converter in Oceanside were apprehended a short time later near police headquarters.
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The suspects were allegedly in the middle of a theft about 7 a.m. on Monday in the 200 block of El Camino Real, when they were caught in the act by a bystander who managed to smash the windshield of the suspects' vehicle as it fled the scene, according to Oceanside Police Department Public Information Officer Jennifer Atenza.
Not long after, an Oceanside Police Sergeant was leaving work when they noticed three people walking away nervously from a vehicle that had its windshield smashed near Oceanside Police Department Headquarters.
The City News Service contributed to this report — Ed.
