Chase ends in arrest of DUI, possession suspect

A 32-year-old Anaheim man was arrested Saturday following a chase that began in Fountain Valley and ended in San Clemente.

Fountain Valley Police said officers responded to a suspicious subject call in the 17300 block of Mt. Cliffwood shortly after 6 p.m. The subject was seen exiting a vehicle, changing clothes, then returning to the vehicle. The reporting party indicated the subject was possibly under the influence of alcohol or drugs, police said.

Officers located the suspect in the area of Newhope Street and Slater Avenue. When officers tried to stop him to investigate, he drove off, police said.

That led to a pursuit southbound on the I-405 Freeway by the California Highway Patrol. CHP officers deployed spike strips that disabled three tires on the suspect’s vehicle. The CHP then used a PIT maneuver to stop the car near the San Onofre nuclear power plant in San Clemente.

Police said the subject was uncooperative and reached under his seat several times. All four of the windows were rolled up so a Fountain Valley Police officer shot out the back window with less lethal rounds to gain a better view of the subject. The suspect then got out of the car and was taken into custody without incident.

Police said there were no injuries, no traffic collisions, and no use of force. The subject was determined to be under the influence of drugs and was arrested on suspicion of DUI, felony evading, possession of methamphetamine, and possession a methamphetamine pipe.

Police identified the suspect as Anthony Williams, 32, from Anaheim. He was booked at Orange County Jail. When asked why he fled, Williams replied he was on Post Release Community Supervision, police said.