The California Highway Patrol arrested a San Francisco resident driving a stolen truck early this morning after a high-speed chase through Marin and Contra Costa counties that involved the CHP, Sausalito and Tiburon police.
The chase began around 3:20 a.m. when a Sausalito police officer tried to stop a 1999 Ford F-250 utility truck on northbound U.S. Highway 101 at the Seminary Street off-ramp for speeding and having an inoperable front light, CHP Officer Chris Rardin said.
Instead of pulling over, the driver, later identified as 28-year-old Leigh McInnis Gaetjens, continued at 80 mph, Rardin said. Tiburon police joined the chase and the truck took a connector to Interstate Highway 580.
The truck continued on I-580 across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and into Richmond where the CHP joined the chase, Rardin said.
Gaetjens then exited and re-entered the highway heading west on I-580, back across the bridge and into Marin County, where Marin-area CHP officers flattened both of the truck’s front tires with a spike strip just east of Francisco Boulevard, Rardin said.
However, Gaetjens continued north on Highway 101 at 90 mph as the tires began to disintegrate, Rardin said.
Gaetjens took the Central San Rafael exit and ran four red lights in San Rafael before re-entering northbound Highway 101, Rardin said.
Gaetjens drove at nearly 100 mph until the front tires were nearly completely disintegrated, then stopped in the middle of the highway south of the Ignacio Boulevard exit, Rardin said.
The white Ford utility truck is registered to the city of San Francisco and was reported stolen, Rardin said.
Gaetjens was arrested and booked into the Marin County jail on felony charges of evading police, unlawful taking of a vehicle without the owner’s consent and possession of stolen property.
