Police chase domestic violence suspect in RV from LA to Central Valley

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Police are looking for a possibly armed domestic violence suspect who led police on a chase in an RV with two young children inside.

The chase came to an end at an orchard in Shafter near State Route 99 and Merced Street. The two children with the suspect were taken from the RV to safety, but the suspect was not inside the vehicle. A search was ongoing.

It initially began as a chase on surface streets in Los Angeles and after winding through the San Fernando Valley, the suspect headed north on Interstate 5. Once over the Grapevine, he headed towards Bakersfield on State Route 99.

Once in the Bakersfield area, he changed directions several times, pulling off the highway, taking surface streets for a while, heading southbound on 99, before finally heading back northbound and exiting in Shafter.

By around 6 p.m. the RV stopped on a dead-end rural road in Shafter. CHP officers and SWAT teams approached the vehicle and appeared to be attempting to negotiate with the suspect.

By 7 p.m. officers said the two children had been recovered safely but the suspect was not found inside the motorhome.

The suspect, later identified as Stephen Houk, 46, was believed to have been involved in a domestic violence incident and had been chased earlier in the day by sheriff's deputies in the Santa Clarita area, until that pursuit was canceled.

Officials said there were two children, ages 11 months and 3 years, in the RV and the suspect is armed with a gun. They are believed to be his children. The mother of the children reported the domestic violence suspect to deputies.

Police said Houk is a registered sex offender from Oregon who is on parole for a sex offense.