Pursuit ends in wrong way multi-vehicle crash on 405 Freeway in Brentwood
A woman was arrested after a pursuit ended in a violent wrong way crash on the 405 Freeway in Brentwood Friday morning.
Authorities said they initially responded to a disturbance call reported around 4:20 a.m. at 4th and Rose Avenue in Venice for a suspect in a white van.
The chase began around 4:50 a.m. after the suspect reportedly struck an LAPD patrol car, injuring two officers before heading to the 405 Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
During the pursuit, the driver hit speeds of nearly 100 mph with smoke coming from under the hood. Police deployed multiple PIT maneuvers, attempting to get the white van to stop. The van drove in circles, trying to get away from officers before the suspect started heading the wrong way down the northbound 405 Freeway.
The pursuit ended on the 405 Freeway in a multi-vehicle crash after the suspect drove into oncoming traffic. The suspect hit at least three innocent drivers before climbing on the roof of the white van and jumping over to the hood of a semi-truck.
The semi-truck driver said the suspect was saying "open the door, open the door, I need help!"
Police were able to get the woman off the hood of the truck and she was taken into custody.
Five officers were injured during the chaos, two of which were hospitalized before being treated and released, according to a statement from LAPD.
The identity of the suspect has not been released yet, but some relatives tell KCAL News that she is 41-year-old Lisa Heflin, who was reportedly missing recently. The van she was driving had license plates from Missouri.
Family says that Heflin has a history of mental problems and they filed a missing persons report after losing contact with her on Thursday.
One uninvolved driver suffered minor injuries in the crash but did not require medical transport. SkyCAL flew over the scene and could see an ambulance responded along with other agencies.
As of 7 a.m., six northbound lanes were closed on the 405 Freeway near Wilshire Boulevard. while officials investigated the scene causing major backups for the morning commute. All lanes reopened around 9:45 a.m. on Friday.
