Suspect In 3-Hour Pursuit Was AB 109 Early Release Parolee Who Just Got Out Of Prison
ROWLAND HEIGHTS (CBSLA) — A police pursuit that began in South Gate just after 5 p.m. Wednesday lasted three hours and eventually ended inside a 99 Cents Only store in Rowland Heights.
The driver, a man suspected of assaulting the female passenger, took police through Los Angeles and Orange counties before parking the vehicle and running into a 99 Cents Only store where he was arrested at gunpoint.
The woman was reported to be bloody when police tended to her in the car. She was later taken to Pomona Valley Hospital.
The pursuit began when police were alerted of a possible physical altercation between a man and woman inside the vehicle. The driver then reportedly took off in the vehicle when he saw an officer approaching.
While the chase was happening, Sky9 captured the woman struggling with the suspect, who police later confirmed was an admitted gang member from Buena Park and an AB 109 early release parolee who had just gotten out of jail on a separate DUI warrant. The passenger was seen opening the passenger side door multiple times, in what looked like an attempt to escape.
The suspect drove erratically, running red lights, driving on the wrong side of the road, and at one point, driving through a park and dragging a fence and a bicycle that had been chained to it.
The suspect drove into Orange County before heading back to Los Angeles County.
South Gate police chased the car for a time before the California Highway Patrol stepped in, using multiple PIT maneuvers in efforts to stop the vehicle.
About three hours after the chase began, the suspect pulled into a parking space and ran into a 99 Cents Only store near the intersection of Nogales Street and Colima Road in Rowland Heights. Customers were seen running out of the store as police ran in with rifles drawn and apprehended the suspect.
The suspect was later identified as Alexis Avinai, and he was booked on suspicion of domestic violence and felony evading. He is being held on $125,000 bail.
