South LA Family Get Frightening Shock When Police Chase Ends Next To Their Barbecue
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Officers responding to a burglary report at a South L.A. home say they arrived to find the suspect leaving out the back.
The residents had come home around 3 p.m. and noticed signs of a break-in, according to the LAPD.
Police responded to the corner of Hoover and 58th streets. They saw a man in the rear alley of the home get into a red Honda and reportedly flee the scene.
Officers gave chase to the suspect, who circled surrounding neighborhoods. They say he drove erratically, jumping the sidewalk and sideswiping parked cars.
A half hour into the pursuit, the driver pulled into the driveway of a duplex on 87th Place.
A family that was barbecuing on the front lawn scrambled to get indoors.
"So I turned around, ran, and I didn't have to say nothing, everybody ran with me," homeowner Chanel Washington said.
"I was so scared," said Tayjah Washington, whose little brother was asleep in a tent at the end of the driveway. "My mom had to stay outside and had to say, 'C'mon! C'mon, c'mon!'"
All members of the family managed to get inside and lock the door.
Meanwhile, the suspect stepped out of the car with his hands raised and officers took him into custody, feet from the family's barbecue grill.
"I felt grateful for that, but I didn't even put it in the police hands, because I ran into the house. I put it in my own hands," Chanel Washington said.
Police have not yet identified the suspect. It's not clear whether he was armed or if he had any stolen goods in his possession.
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