RIALTO, Calif. (AP) — The man authorities say led them on a freeway chase through four Southern California counties may be a prolific bank robber.
Stephen Bartlett was arrested around 1 p.m. Thursday after a stake bed truck flew off an Interstate 210 embankment east of Los Angeles and crashed.
Whittier police say he’ll be held at their jail. It’s unclear whether he has a lawyer.
Authorities say they believe Bartlett is the so-called Hills Bandit who’s robbed more than a half-dozen banks in San Diego and Orange counties since May.
Police say the chase began after a business in Santa Fe Springs, east of Los Angeles, reported the possible theft of $12,000 worth of steel.
Authorities say during the chase, the truck caused two crashes and briefly drove the wrong way in traffic.
