Alleged kidnapping suspect arrested after slow-speed chase through LA, Orange County

California Highway Patrol officers arrested an alleged kidnapping suspect after a lengthy and extremely slow-speed pursuit through Los Angeles and Orange Counties on Saturday evening. The victim, who was inside of the car the entire time, was safe at the end of the chase.

The chase began a little after 6:45 p.m. near the I-5 and I-605 Freeway interchange, according to CHP officials. Officers say that they received a call from family to report the kidnapping, which happened outside of the victim's workplace in the 10300 block of Lower Azusa in El Monte.

"I believe the ex-boyfriend was waiting for her at her place of employment," said CHP Sergeant Sal Navarra. "She pulled up and he was there and eventually forced his way into her vehicle. Reports were that he was armed."

With the help of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department helicopter, authorities were able to locate the vehicle as it drove along I-5. When they attempted to pull him over, the suspect failed to stop, prompting the chase to begin. 

Police say that the driver ran over a spike strip at some point, which caused two of the front tires to go flat. Despite this, the car did not stop and instead continued to drive along the freeway. 

With SkyCal overhead, the extremely slow-speed chase, happening at no more than five miles per hour, could be seen as it continued along southbound lanes of the I-405 Freeway with as many as five CHP patrol cars following closely behind. 

As the suspect crawled along the freeway, hundreds of cars got caught up in the traffic that continued to build up behind the chase, creating a massive traffic nightmare on the 405.

Several onlookers could be seen watching the chase as it drove underneath an overpass near Springdale Street and Westminster Avenue. 

At around 8:30 p.m., the driver finally came to a stop near the Springdale Street ramp. The officers exited their vehicles with weapons drawn while the suspect appeared to communicate with them through the driver's side window. 

The driver exited the car and slowly walked to the passenger side, where a female had just exited. They briefly embraced before the suspect surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident. 

The passenger, the kidnapping, began to speak to police after the suspect was arrested. She was not harmed during the incident.

The 405 Freeway has fully-reopened following the lengthy backup.