LAPD Slowly Chase Man In Convertible With 'Victory Parade' Sign

SHERMAN OAKS (CNS/FOX 11) - A DUI suspect in a Ford Mustang convertible with the words "victory parade" emblazoned on the side led police on a slow-speed, hour-long chase in the San Fernando Valley today before an apparent onlooker blocked his path, prompting the driver to get out of the car and surrender to officers who had been following him.

The painstakingly slow chase began about 5:45 p.m. in the 8400 block of Reseda Boulevard, between Roscoe Boulevard and Parthenia Street, in Northridge, said Los Angeles police Officer Tony Im.

The man, who had a beard and was wearing a newsboy cap, headed south on Reseda Boulevard and then east on Ventura Boulevard in the Mustang, which had its top down, emergency flashers on and a sign on the driver's side door reading: "victory parade." A sign on the passenger-side door read: "victory" and below that "war over we win."

He appeared to steer around spike strips set out in an attempt to disable the vehicle, but came to a stop about 6:50 p.m. in Sherman Oaks when a man walked into the street and blocked his path, at which time he got out and surrendered.

During the chase, the man waved and flashed thumbs-up and victory or peace signs to onlookers, some of whom used cellphones to capture images of the spectacle as the man passed with about a dozen police vehicles in tow.

The man who stopped the chase, described as homeless by witnesses at the scene, was detained by police for questioning and was being held pending verification of a possible parole warrant, Lt. Paul Vernon of the LAPD's West Valley Station said.