Amazon Delivery Truck Stolen in Pasadena; Suspect Arrested Following Pursuit from Azusa to El Monte

[Updated] A man stole an Amazon truck loaded with packages in Pasadena before leading authorities on a pursuit that stretched from Azusa to El Monte on Wednesday night, police said.

An Amazon delivery driver reported someone sped off in her delivery truck about 7:45 p.m. while she was making a delivery along Orange Grove Boulevard, just east of Fair Oaks Avenue, Pasadena police Lt. Anthony Burgess said.

In addition to the customer’s packages, there was also a dog inside the vehicle when it was stolen, he said.

Police managed to track the stolen truck via an iPad that was in it, according to Burgess.

The truck was located in Azusa, where police tried to pull it over, he said. The driver fled, initiating a chase.

The pursuit ended up in El Monte where the driver abandoned the truck and ran, the lieutenant said. With help from a police K-9, officers found the suspect hiding in a bush.

The stolen truck and packages were recovered, police said. Details regarding the status of the dog were not immediately available.

Eddie Jessie Valdez, 37, of Downey was booked on suspicion of auto theft and evading police, according to police and Los Angeles County booking records.

Valdez, who was already on parole for a prior conviction, was being held without bail pending his initial court appearance, records show.

According to L.A. County Superior Court records, previous convictions in the county include meth possession in 2018; bringing drugs into a jail facility in 2017; possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in 2014; auto theft, felony evading of police and assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury on a peace officer or firefighter in 2009.

An initial court date was yet to be scheduled Thursday.

Related:

Man Taken Into Custody in Pasadena After Leading CHP On Pursuit in Stolen Van

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article misstated the gender of the victim. The story has been updated.