SUSPECT FLEES WITH ONE HAND IN CUFFS.

Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer

CANYON COUNTRY - A CHP officer was arresting a man suspected of driving a stolen car while under the influence Tuesday when the man, already cuffed on one hand, broke free and fled, authorities said.

The officer had pulled over a blue 1991 Ford Escort shortly after 4 p.m. on Soledad Canyon Road, north of Lang Station Road in Canyon Country, when he noticed that the ignition had been tampered with, according to the California Highway Patrol.

``The driver appeared to the officer to be under the influence of drugs,'' said CHP spokesman Byron Wong. ``He asked the driver to exit the car and began to arrest him. He had one cuff on (him) when the driver began to resist and pulled away.''

Wong said the 6-foot-tall man goes by the name George and has several tattoos, including one on his upper right arm that reads 5150. The 25- to 35-year-old man is white, has brown hair and weighs about 185 pounds, authorities said.

While the arresting officer chased the man into a wooded area, additional law enforcement officers arrived and set up a perimeter of the area.

The man was not found, but a check on the car revealed that it had been stolen from Canyon Country earlier in the day, Wong said.

Anyone who might have witnessed the incident or has information about the man is asked to call the Newhall CHP station at [phone].