201904.24
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3-hour chase ends in Rowland Heights after driver is pursued through L.A., Orange counties

by in News

A suspect led police in a pursuit for about three hours starting in South Gate and winding through parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties on Wednesday evening, April 24, finally ending up in a discount store parking lot in Rowland Heights.

Prior to the chase, South Gate police received reports of a dispute between a man and a woman in a silver Honda Sedan, said South Gate Police Capt. Darren Arakawa. He said an officer spotted and approached the car near the intersection of Firestone Boulevard and California Avenue at about 5:13 p.m. That’s when the driver took off.

NBC4 reported that the suspect was seen assaulting a woman riding in the passenger seat.

From South Gate, the suspect drove erratically through South Los Angeles. Aerial footage broadcast by KTLA5 showed the sedan travelling off-road through Roosevelt Park and crashing through a gate.

The suspect then got onto the 710 freeway, transitioned to the eastbound 91 Freeway and headed toward the Long Beach-Norwalk area.

The vehicle exited the freeway in Downey and passed through La Mirada before crossing into Orange County. Broadcast coverage of the chase showed the suspect ignoring red lights as he drove through crowded intersections and maneuvered along side streets in Buena Park, Garden Grove and Anaheim.

By 7:05 p.m., the driver had gotten onto the westbound 22 Freeway in Orange County, then merged onto the northbound 605 Freeway towards Los Angeles County again. From there, he traveled to the 105 Freeway and exited at Long Beach Boulevard in the Lynwood area.

The chase continued into Huntington Park, where the driver appeared to slow down as he moved through side streets. The sedan’s driver side door quickly opened and closed several times near the intersection of Santa Fe Avenue and Walnut Street in Huntington Park, but the passenger remained inside. The car eventually traveled along the eastbound 10 Freeway before getting back onto surface streets in Los Angeles, where California Highway Patrol officers continued to follow the suspect Wednesday evening.

Afterward, the driver made his way through East Los Angeles and Montebello, and then along the eastbound 60 Freeway, which took him to his final stop in Rowland Heights.

The suspect exited on Nogales Street and stopped in the parking lot of a 99 Cents Store. Broadcast coverage showed he left the car, bare-chested and ran into the store, prompting officers to evacuate the building.

The woman who was allegedly beat remained inside the car before officers came to assist her. She was found to be breathing, but was being treated by medical personnel, broadcast coverage showed.

Within minutes, officers detained the suspect and walked him out of the store, now wearing a black long sleeve and handcuffs at around 8:20 p.m., bringing a close to the three-hour chase.

City News Service contributed to this report.