LOCAL : Suspects Nabbed After Chase

A 17-year-old suspected of robbing a convenience store today was arrested after driving a stolen vehicle off a freeway embankment during a high-speed police chase, authorities said.

The suspect, whose name was withheld because of his age, was treated for minor injuries. A passenger, Brian David Hall, 19, is in critical but stable condition at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, Officer Richard McMillen said. Both are from Corona, he said.

Police responded to a robbery call from the Circle K market on Stanton Avenue near Manchester Boulevard in Buena Park about 4:15 a.m. today, McMillen said. The manager of the store said about $60 was taken. Witnesses said the robbers drove off in a white Ford.

Police saw a vehicle matching that description entering the Riverside Freeway westbound from Beach Boulevard shortly after the incident. The driver refused to stop for police, and a chase reaching speeds of 90 m.p.h. ensued, McMillen said.

The pursuit lasted less than five minutes and ended with the Ford driving off an embankment near the 1700 block of Ardmore Avenue in Bellflower, he said.

The youth was in Juvenile Hall after being booked for suspicion of robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle, and Hall is to be booked for the same crimes when he is released by the hospital, police said.