A man was in custody Wednesday following a 150-mile, three-hour pursuit that started in Joshua Tree and ended in Wilmington. About 9:05 a.m., a California Highway Patrol officer attempted to make a traffic stop for an expired registration on a gray Lincoln Navigator on Highway 62 near Bonair Road in Joshua Tree. The driver, David Castaneda Jr., 31, of Wilmington, originally gave a false name to CHP Officer McNutt. Inside the car with Castaneda were a 13-month-old and a 3-month old child. When McNutt confronted him about the false ID, Castaneda took off westbound on the highway. Witnesses to the pursuit said the driver was following speed limit laws in Yucca Valley all while being pursued. Castaneda then got onto Interstate 10 and drove west toward Los Angeles. Several Los Angeles television stations picked up the pursuit and broadcast it live for over an hour; at times his speed was more than 100 miles per hour. The pursuit finally ended when Castaneda got off the 110 freeway in Wilmington and drove on surface streets, making a U-turn on Wilmington Boulevard stopping in front of an apartment complex. Authorities said Castaneda ended the chase near the grandmother’s apartment. Several people ran up to the SUV and removed the children in their car seats from the vehicle. After police officers boxed in Castaneda, he fled on foot for about a block before he was captured with a flying tackle by a police officer right about noon. David Castaneda Jr. was arrested for investigation of felony evading, child endangerment, false impersonation, and other misdemeanor crimes.
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