Standoff in Santa Monica ends when police let driver go

A pursuit that turned into an hours-long standoff ended in a bizarre, anti-climactic way Thursday night. 

The standoff began when a man in a Black Mercedes sedan parked in the middle of Ocean Avenue between Broadway and Colorado Avenue, close to the Santa Monica Pier. The driver refused to surrender to police despite being boxed in. 

Police later released that the driver was suffering from mental health issues and had called police earlier that night. During the call, the driver claimed that someone had pulled a gun on him. 

Police later caught up with the in the 1600 block of Ocean Avenue. However, the driver failed to stop for police until coming to a full-stop in the middle of the 1500 block of Ocean Avenue. 

The incident continued until police broke down the barricades they had set up and allowed the suspect to drive away. However, the suspect returned to the scene impeding traffic, again. A big crowd began to gather around the area with some bystanders circling the suspect's car while riding a bicycle and skateboard.

One car even pulled over beside the suspect for several minutes. The incident seemingly ended when the driver's sister got into the sedan and drove him to the Marina Del Rey Sheriff's Station.

Throughout the entire ordeal, a dog could be seen in the suspect's car. 

Other than trying to negotiate with him, Santa Monica police did not engage the suspect throughout the entire standoff.