A man in a stolen tractor-trailer led the California Highway Patrol on a lengthy chase that ended with the big rig bursting into flames Thursday.
The pursuit of the stolen tractor-trailer began along the 5 Freeway near Newhall and moved through Kern County, KTTV-TV reports. No details were released on what happened before the chase started and how the suspect took off with the vehicle.
CHP officers tried several times to deploy spike strips and were finally successful blowing out the tractor-trailer's front tires. As the vehicle continued moving, the rims against the roadway created sparks that ignited a fire beneath the big rig.
The suspect was able to get out of the tractor-trailer and surrender to authorities. The big rig then became engulfed in flames, which were put out by the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
During the chase, video footage from news helicopters showed the suspect writing on a piece of paper and holding it up to the windshield. It's not clear what was on the paper.
