2 arrested after high-speed police chase in Newport, H.B.

A driver was arrested after being pursued at high speeds Sunday by Newport Beach police while his passengers yelled at him to stop, authorities said.

Officers said they saw a gray Chevrolet sedan with its headlights off speeding along West Coast Highway near 63rd Street in Newport Beach around 11 p.m.

When the driver pulled over near the border of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, an officer noticed the car’s engine was running even though no key was in the ignition, according to Newport Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella.

The officer, who also saw that the driver was wearing a glove, began to suspect that the car might be stolen, Manzella said.

The driver sped away when the officer asked him to get out of the car, according to police.

“The officer heard the passengers in the rear seat yelling for the driver to stop,” Manzella said.

Police chased the car for a few miles at speeds up to 100 mph until it crashed into a pole and another car at Pacific Coast Highway and First Street in Huntington Beach, authorities said.

Three passengers were in the back seat, Manzella said. One of them took off running but was quickly taken into custody by Huntington Beach police and arrested on an outstanding warrant and suspicion of resisting a police officer, Manzella said. Authorities identified him as Forrest Lee Green, 26, of Los Angeles.

The other passengers, both women, were interviewed at the scene and released, according to police.

Police identified the driver as Louis Joseph Holt, 39, of Los Angeles. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs, evading a police officer, possession of a methamphetamine pipe and resisting an officer.

He also could face kidnapping charges because the passengers were forced to ride with him even though they protested, Manzella said.

Though the officer had originally thought the car might be stolen, it was legally in possession of one of the passengers, Manzella said.