Suspect Leads Police On A 90-Minute Pursuit Across Two Counties
HAWTHORNE (CBSLA) — A long, wild police pursuit that included the driver heading the opposite way on a Southland freeway ended in Hawthorne Thursday.
The chase began at around 6:30 p.m. in San Bernardino County, where officers with the Chino Hills Police Dept. attempted to stop the reportedly stolen vehicle. They tried a PIT maneuver on the 57 Fwy. The move failed, and the suspect took police all over Los Angeles County before being apprehended.
The suspect then took police to the surprisingly clear 210 Fwy. westbound before getting on the 134. The driver opened his door and stuck his head out, apparently to look at his front tire while traveling a relatively high speed.
At one point, the driver sideswiped a vehicle near the Sherman Oaks area. He then went the wrong way on the 405-to-101 Fwy. on-ramp before making a U-turn and continuing on the San Diego Fwy.
As the sun set, the chase slowed to a crawl near Hawthorne. A California Highway Patrol SUV eventually executed a PIT maneuver successfully.
Even then, the suspect refused the officers' commands, prompting officers to shoot out the vehicle's windows with nonlethal rounds before they sent in a K-9.
At about 8 p.m., 90 minutes after it the pursuit began, the man in his mid-20s was finally arrested and examined by paramedics.
Police said the man was smoking a meth pipe in the car before his arrest.