WHEELLESS CAR CHASE FINALLY GRINDS TO A HALT.

Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer

A 17-year-old boy stole a Range Rover from a West Hollywood gas station and led police on a dramatic chase on the Ventura Freeway on Thursday afternoon for nearly 90 minutes until the vehicle sputtered to a stop just south of Santa Barbara County.

With the chase being televised by news helicopters, the teen drove over a spike strip in Oxnard that shredded the SUV's front tires. He continued to drive as the rims were ground down in a shower of sparks, and pieces of the Range Rover broke and spewed across the freeway.

The teen was left driving on little more than the axle for a dozen miles, authorities said.

``This has got to be setting a record, going on the axle,'' said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Philip Brooks of the West Hollywood Division. ``It's a good car. It would make a good commercial.''

California Highway Patrol officers took the Los Angeles teen into custody and were expected to transport him to Ventura County Juvenile Hall, where the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department would take over the investigation, said Ventura County CHP Officer David Webb.

The teen was facing arrest on suspicion of stealing a vehicle, possession of stolen property, felony evading and reckless driving, Webb said.

That the teen piloted the Range Rover up and over medians and across the freeway - even after the vehicle was disabled - was no surprise to those that sell them.

``The car is basically a tank,'' said Amir Javidi, manager of Sherman Oaks Exclusive Jaguar and Range Rover, a pre-owner dealership. ``Cosmetically, it looks like a beautiful and luxurious car. Underneath, it's very sturdy.''

Javidi said the car's strength - even without the tires - didn't surprise him but the range did, because ``the gas mileage isn't all that great.''

The chase began when a Beverly Hills woman at a Chevron service station at La Cienega Boulevard and Holloway Drive had pumped gas into the white 1993 Range Rover and went to buy cigarettes, Brooks said. She left the keys in the car, officials said, and the teen jumped in.

``She came inside and wanted to get a pack of cigarettes, as she came to the door, she said, 'My God, someone is stealing my car,' '' said Dean Gehrke, whose wife, Carolyn, owns the service station.

The woman ran down the street after the fleeing vehicle and managed to flag down a driver of another Range Rover, who followed the stolen vehicle long enough to let the police know where he was going, Gehrke said.

Sheriff's deputies began the pursuit at 3:02 p.m., following the driver onto the Ventura Freeway from Laurel Canyon Boulevard, where LAPD and Los Angeles County California Highway Patrol officers assisted until the Ventura County CHP took over at Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks, officials said.

The sport utility vehicle was driven recklessly around other vehicles at speeds between 65 and 75 mph until it hit a spike strip set up at Vineyard Avenue. The strip punctured the Range Rover's two front tires, said Ventura County CHP Officer David Webb. For 12 miles, the SUV continued at 30 to 40 mph with the left front tire completely stripped, Webb said, and the wheel whittling down to nothing.

Officers were able to speak with the teen's mother during the pursuit. She said her son was despondent, Webb said.

Just south of the Santa Barbara County line, the vehicle went out of control and ran into the center median. CHP officers took the teen into custody without further incident at 4:30 p.m., Webb said. Traffic on the northbound side of the freeway was held to a standstill for about an hour.