Carjacking Suspect Foiled by OnStar Location Service The carjacking happened in San Dimas and the truck traced to Placentia, where the pickup was slowed to a crawl so cops could make the arrest

City News Service

SAN DIMAS (CNS) - Authorities Sunday released the name of the man arrested after a Chevrolet pickup truck carjacked in San Dimas was located using the OnStar service, which remotely slowed the vehicle on the Orange (57) Freeway in Placentia, prompting him to surrender.

Twenty-six-year-old Joshua Frontino-Deaton was booked into the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station jail on suspicion of carjacking, with bail set at $100,000, said Lt. Elisabeth Sachs.

The carjacking happened at 7:22 p.m Saturday outside a Red Robin restaurant in the 500 block of West Arrow Highway, Lt. Tonya Edwards of the sheriff’s San Dimas Station said.

The suspect, a man in his 20s, attacked a 74-year-old man, who fought back but was overpowered and unable to keep the younger man from taking the truck, Edwards said.

Authorities were notified of the carjacking minutes later through OnStar, according to Lt. David Buckner, watch commander of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Walnut Station, whose deputies assisted in taking the suspect into custody.

An OnStar operator provided the sheriff’s department with “up-to-the- moment locations” of the white pickup truck, which was remotely slowed to about 5 mph after deputies “got a visual” on the vehicle as it headed south on the freeway.

It stopped just north of the Riverside (91) Freeway about 8 p.m. and the suspect got out and surrendered, Buckner said.

“He stole the wrong vehicle,” Buckner said.

The California Highway Patrol backed up sheriff’s deputies during the pursuit, Buckner said.

OnStar Corporation is a General Motors subsidiary whose subscription-based service provides vehicles with communications, navigation, security and remote diagnostics.

--City News Service