A bizarre one-hour vehicle chase in Los Angeles ended Wednesday morning with a suspect in custody and his severely damaged vehicle – with at least three flat tires – parked on a highway.
A video posted on social media at around 1:30 am local time showed policemen advancing on the allegedly “armed and dangerous” suspect, standing outside his vehicle. He was quickly surrounded, handcuffed and taken away.
A few minutes earlier, sparks flew from the left wheel on the driver’s side of the suspect’s vehicle when the rim fell, leaving the silver Chevy Malibu finally deactivated after hours of driving with at least three of its tires damaged.
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Throughout the night, the video posted by FOX 11 in Los Angeles and other stations showed Malibu with Oklahoma signs traveling around the city, mostly on Interstate 110, with police vehicles close behind and news helicopters flying overhead.
What started as a high-speed chase after 7 pm eventually dropped to less than 5 mph after the suspect’s vehicle was damaged by a strip of thorns, KNBC-TV in Los Angeles reported.
Police were carefully chasing because the driver was believed to be in possession of a gun, the report said.
The chase caution was in line with police training, said Joe Buscaino, a Los Angeles city councilman who served as a Los Angeles police officer.
He noted that vehicle chasing occurred in a period of rising crime in the country’s second largest city.
“I think it will get worse before it gets better, unfortunately,” said Buscaino.
The chase covered stretches of Interstate 110, in the north and south directions, as the driver exited and re-entered the highway, KNBC-TV reported.
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At around 11 pm local time, the suspect was seen driving slowly in El Monte, California, with at least four police vehicles behind. All vehicles were moving slowly, and many vehicles were seen parked along the road, with passengers watching the action.
The chase began around 7 pm local time after a suspect was reported to have a gun, the station said.
The suspect’s identity and a list of possible criminal charges were not immediately available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.