A VEHICLE fleeing from police burst into flames after colliding with another car early Saturday morning in Huntington Beach (HBPD photos),

A speeding vehicle sighting early Saturday morning ended up in a fiery crash and the arrest of two people for the theft of catalytic converters in Huntington Beach.

According to the HBPD, the incident began around 5:15 a.m. when a patrol officer spotted a vehicle leaving a residential tract in the area of Atlanta Avenue and Newland Street “at a high rate of speed.”

CATALYCTIC converters seized by HBPD officers (HBPD photo).

When the officer tried to make a traffic stop, the vehicle sped away, traveling northbound on Newland with officers in pursuit. The suspect vehicle ran a red traffic signal at Adams Avenue and caught fire after it crashed into another automobile. 

The driver and passenger of the fleeing vehicle were taken into custody and taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the other auto also sustained minor injuries.

A search of the suspects’ vehicle turned up what police describe as “multiple freshly cut” catalytic converters, a saw and numerous used and new blades.

Both suspects were medically cleared and later booked into Huntington Beach Jail on felony charges, They are Yonathan Acosta, 18, of Norwalk, and Tyrece Sinkler, 22, of Long Beach.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call the HBPD WeTip Hotline at (714) 375-5066.