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Stolen vehicle suspect arrested after running inside home at end of wild pursuit through San Fernando Valley

Wild high-speed chase sees stolen car suspect slam through gate, run into person's home
Wild high-speed chase sees stolen car suspect slam through gate, run into person's home 01:01:57

Police finally arrested a stolen vehicle suspect after a wild pursuit throughout the San Fernando Valley on Thursday.

San Fernando Police Department officers began chasing the driver after they failed to pull over in the city of San Fernando, prompting lengthy hour-long chase that started a little before 7:45 p.m.

The driver, behind the wheel of a red Toyota Prius, swerved around a semi truck that was attempted to back into a parking lot at one point, almost slamming into another uninvolved car before driving up a curb.

At one point the driver drove straight through a gate into what appeared to be a dead end in front of a tire yard at Fleetwood Street and Tujunga Avenue in Sun Valley before ramming through a barrier, shattering the windshield and causing damage to the front end of the car.  

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Driver leading San Fernando police on a chase as they slam through a gate.  KCAL News

The driver then sped away with police still following close behind. 

At around 8:15 p.m., the driver got onto northbound lanes of I-405 in Van Nuys. They eventually transitioned onto eastbound lanes of CA-118 in Mission Hills and then headed southbound on I-5 in Arleta, driving recklessly and dangerously splitting gaps between other cars at speeds up to 110 miles per hour. 

Just after 8:30 p.m., the driver pulled up to the closed gate of what looked to be an apartment complex on Wyngate Street and Sunland Boulevard where they ditched the car and ran on foot. 

The suspect could be seen as they ran through the complex as the Los Angeles Police Department helicopter's spotlight followed. As they ran, the suspect found a partially open garage and snuck underneath the door, unbeknownst to an officer who was chasing him. 

After about two hours, LAPD officers said that the suspect was finally taken into custody. It's not immediately clear where they were found, but Burbank and San Fernando police departments had set up a large perimeter around the area for their search. 

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