Police Chase, Fatally Shoot Suspected Drunken Driver In Corvette
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Police fatally shot a suspected drunken driver Friday after an hour-long chase involving Los Angeles police, sheriff's deputies and the California Highway Patrol.
Officials say at around 9:30 p.m. officers in Cudahy spotted a man driving a silver late-model Corvette erratically and tried to initiate a traffic stop, LAPD spokesman Lt. Andy Neiman said.
The suspect sped off, leading law enforcement through Bell, Huntington Park and Downtown LA.
The pursuit ended with a violent crash of the vehicle at Olympic Boulevard and Los Angeles Street.
Officers reportedly shot the suspect as he stumbled out of the Corvette but Neiman did not elaborate on why they opened fire.
During the chase, the man was driving without lights on and often "just driving in circles," said Meghan Reyes, reporting from Sky9.
Reyes said police were monitoring the situation from the air and giving the driver a wide berth.
At one point during the chase police reportedly used a spike strip but it didn't seem to affect the man's tires. KCAL9 anchor Kent Shocknek, also a long-time car enthusiast, explained that the tires on this particular make of Corvette were designed to avoid puncture.
Shocknek also said the car is capable of going 185 mph.
Reyes said the driver, believed to be a man, was driving up and down streets that he seemed familiar with.
During the chase, the driver often fish-tailed after making wide turns.
The Corvette crashed into a fire hydrant at the end of the chase sending water gushing.
Melanie Woodrow, reporting for CBS2, said at the scene paramedics could be seen doing "vigorous" chest compressions on the suspect.
The suspect was pronounced dead at 2:30 a.m. at a hospital, Neiman said.
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