By Linda Taaffe

A cat-and-mouse chase between police and two alleged car thieves in south Los Altos ended hours later when the suspects returned to a stolen car they had abandoned, only to find Los Altos police waiting for them.

Sgt. John Hughmanick said the chase began at around 2:22 a.m., April 15, after Officer Scott McCrossin decided to follow two cars driving “suspiciously slow” near Grant Road and Crist Drive.

The two motorists apparently tried to shake McCrossin by making sharp turns and doubling back to the area.

Los Altos police spotted one of the cars abandoned, with its engine still running, on Crist Drive. Hughmanick said they determined that the 1998 Acura Integra was stolen because its drive shaft was smashed.

Hughmanick said police believe the men were out looking for that particular type of vehicle because they went through a lot of trouble to steal it.

It wasn’t a crime of opportunity, where someone left the keys in the ignition, he said.

Police set up a search area with other local agencies but were unable to locate either suspect. As the search was winding down hours later, McCrossin saw the other vehicle drive past Crist Drive. This time there was a passenger with the driver.

Los Altos police arrested the two San Jose men, ages 19 and 22, for auto theft and possession of stolen goods. They were booked at the Santa Clara Main Jail.

Hughmanick said they allegedly stole the Acura parked in front of a house on the 1700 block of Austin Drive, just a few blocks from where the car was abandoned.