Officers Stand Down When Pursuit Suspect Falls Asleep During Standoff At Mom's House
ATWATER VILLAGE (CBSLA.com) – A pursuit that began after the suspect called 911 himself ended with officers standing down Thursday after the suspect led them to his mother's home, where he fell asleep during a standoff.
CHP confirmed a 52-year-old man called 911 saying he was going to hurt himself while behind the wheel of a pickup.
A pursuit ensued during which the suspect hit a car then clipped a plumber's truck. The driver of that truck, Harmick Garrison, went after the man. He said his intention was to stop the high-speed chase.
"If one out of 10 people are willing, the United States would be a safe place," Garrison said.
The chase ended after the pursuit suspect drove to the home of his 90-year-old mother in Atwater Village.
He said he was high on PCP, then went to bed and fell asleep, CBS2/KCAL9's Dave Lopez reports. Meanwhile, police surrounded the house. They later left, saying there was no crime committed, noting the suspect did not have a weapon and was surrounded by family members.
The suspect's older brother described him as a drug addict who has refused help from family. He expressed surprise that a stranger got involved in the chase.
LAPD cautioned against civilian involvement in pursuits.
"We do not condone anyone getting involved," LAPD Sgt. Jack Richter said. "You've got the best trained police department in the world here in Los Angeles. And you've got to let us do our job."
About an hour after police left, family members say the suspect woke up but could not recall much of what happened.
Family members were surprised he was not booked. They say they called CHP and officers told them to bring the man to the substation, where he was booked for evading police and hit-and-run.
He was subsequently checked into Huntington Memorial Hospital, where he is undergoing a 72-hour watch for psychiatric care.