SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A party bus that was reportedly stolen in San Diego Tuesday morning crashed into a car in the Palmdale area following a lengthy pursuit, resulting in the arrest of the suspected auto thief.
According to San Diego Police, at 10:17 a.m., Pacific Beach-based Top Dog Limo Bus reported one of their party buses stolen from 4010 Morena Boulevard.
The driver had exited the bus to pick up a guest and left the keys in the vehicle, police said. A woman then jumped in and sped off with the bus.
The bus led authorities on a pursuit on multiple Los Angeles County-area freeways before the vehicle exited in the Palmdale area. Authorities said they did deploy spike strips but managed to avoid them.
Moments after exiting, the bus rear-ended a silver sedan. The driver got out of the bus but was quickly taken into custody.
The bus owner Susie Leitzke told ABC 10 News that a good samaritan on the roadway was the hero of the day. She said they might have never found the bus had it not been for him.
"I received a call complaining about the driver in the bus, she said. "I told the person that it was a stolen vehicle. He stayed on the phone with us following the bus while we called dispatch, CHP, and they were able to get people out there."
The sedan driver was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.
