A dangerous police pursuit of a black SUV that started in the Pico Rivera area Sunday traveled through the San Gabriel Valley, East Los Angeles, downtown LA and eventually ended in the city of Commerce more than an hour after it started.
The pursuit started in the Pico Rivera area and the driver refused to stop after a traffic stop was initiated related to assault with a deadly weapon, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The sheriff’s department later confirmed that the deadly weapon was a gun.
As he evaded police and attempted to get from authorities, the driver of the black SUV regularly hit speeds well above the posted limits, drove on the wrong side of the street and blew through stop signs and red lights without stopping.
At one point, the driver even went through a red light where a flash from a red light camera could be seen.
The SUV was traveling on the southbound 605 Freeway, approaching Beverly Boulevard, around 5:15 p.m. On the freeway, the driver began driving on the outside shoulder to avoid traffic and stay away from chasing patrol cars.
As the driver moved onto surface streets, a police cruiser attempted a couple PIT maneuvers, with the second of try turning the SUV. However, the driver regained control of his vehicle and continued onward.
A short time later, one person jumped out of the black SUV and ran across a busy intersection. As the SUV continued, two more people jumped of the of the vehicle and walked away. But the driver continued on.
The black SUV moved westward and was in the downtown LA area around 5:40 p.m., before heading back towards Vernon around 5:45 p.m.
Around 5:55 p.m., the car moved onto the westbound 10 Freeway from the 710 Freeway.
Around 6 p.m., the driver was stuck in traffic and officers appeared to be preparing to approach the pursuit vehicle, but the driver inched forward, and officers decided to get back into their vehicle and continue the chase.
After hopping onto the 101 Freeway for a moment, the SUV moved onto surface streets in the Boyle Heights area, continuing to drive on the wrong side of the street.
Eventually, the black SUV spun out in the city of Commerce, with the driver and one remaining passenger jumping out of the black SUV. The passenger was tracked down and arrested fairly quickly.
The driver, however, ran through a neighborhood and evaded police until he ran out of breath. Then, he surrendered without further incident and was taken into custody around 6:20 p.m.
Source: NBC Los Angeles