Police Chase Reckless Driving Suspect From Bellflower To Hacienda Heights
MONTEBELLO (CBSLA.com) — Police are chasing a suspect from Montebello to the Santa Fe Springs area.
It is unclear what the suspect is wanted for but he's been driving recklessly -- perhaps an understatement.
Stu Mundel reporting in Sky9 said "there has been a lot of nuttiness during this chase."
He added, "one of the nuttiest we have seen in some time."
The driver has been taking "extreme risks," Mundel (@stringerLA) reported.
The Sheriff's Department is in what is called "tracking mode," a "following" where they keep a relatively safe distance to keep the driver from possibly injuring pedestrians or other drivers.
The suspect has hit several vehicles, run red lights and driven over sidewalks and medians as well as on the wrong side of the road.
At one point the suspect side-swiped an armored car, appeared to crash into a pole. He pulled back and kept going. The car sustained visible front end damage.
The "following" took place mostly on surface streets. When the suspect got into the South Whittier area, he got on the 605 Freeway.
The suspect is driving with the driver and passenger-side air bags deployed.
Earlier, officials said two passengers jumped out of the vehicle. It was unclear if they were in custody.
The chase reportedly started in Bellflower.
The brazen suspect began waving out the window, apparently taunting law enforcement. "Or he's busy show-boating," Mundel reported.
The suspect appeared to have jumped out of the vehicle in an area with lots of trees giving him cover to run.
Officials are searching for the man -- described as a bald Latino in his 30s -- in the hills of Hacienda Heights.
Authorities announced that the suspect has been taken into custody,
After the suspect was apprehended, authorities said the suspect was originally wanted for driving a car that was reported stolen.