The Moreno Valley man who led authorities on a wild chase across multiple provinces in 2022 was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Tuesday.
Johnny Anchondo, 34, a parolee previously convicted of auto theft and attempted carjacking, pleads guilty to charges stemming from the chase that lasted from Fullerton to Whittier on Nov. 9, 2022, during which he crashed multiple times, stole two cars and rammed police vehicles before he was finally arrested.
On Tuesday he pleaded guilty to one whole series of chargesincluding: one count of carjacking, one count of burglary, eight counts of assault with a weapon on a peace officer, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of theft with a prior conviction for auto theft, one count of attempted auto theft, one count of leading police on a chase with reckless driving, three counts of vandalism and one count of leading police on a chase in the opposite lane. All charges are felonies.
Read more: Suspect identified in wild chase through province; families whose vehicles were stolen are still recovering
In addition, Anchondro pleaded guilty to three charges of collision causing property damage, one charge of brandishing a weapon and one charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. All of these chargers are violations.
Before reaching a plea deal, he was eligible for a maximum of 54 years in prison if convicted of all charges.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Larry Yellin offered Anchondo a plea deal, approving 883 days of credit for those already behind bars after he was arrested, court records showed.
The whole ordeal started around 6:45 PM on November 9, 2022, when officers from the Fullerton Police Department had attempted to stop Anchondo for a traffic violation. Instead of stopping, he kept driving, leading police to an apartment complex where he stole a man’s work truck, rammed a police patrol car that tried to stop him and sped away again.
He then fled further toward Los Angeles County, often traveling at speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour, before ditching the broken-down van, which had blown tires and damage from other accidents. He then ran into a family’s home in Whittier armed with a knife and stole the keys to their work truck before fleeing from authorities again.
As he drove out of the cul-de-sac where the house was located, he nearly crashed into Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department cars that tried to stop him. He kept driving until he eventually ended up at a Mobil gas station in Hacienda Heights, where he began backing into police cars again.
During the brief standoff, Anchondo pressed the truck’s accelerator, causing the tires to spin and smoke to billow out of the air. At some point during the incident, officers opened fire while Anchondro was in the car. He was unharmed.
