Father arrested after LA County freeway pursuit with 6-year-old child in van
Possible kidnapping suspect arrested after chase in LA County
The pursuit started in Anaheim and ended in the Compton area.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY Calif. - A multi-city freeway pursuit stretching from Orange County into Los Angeles County ended in Compton on Wednesday with a father in custody and a 6-year-old child safely rescued.
Authorities arrested three individuals following the high-stakes police chase, which involved an alleged child abduction and a dangerous attempt to ditch a backpack containing drugs and a firearm over a freeway overpass.
What we know:
The incident began when the Anaheim Police Department received a call from a mother reporting that her estranged boyfriend—who is the father of her two children, has not seen them for some time, and lacks legal custody—arrived at her Anaheim residence attempting to take them.
According to police, one child went with the father, whether by force or consent, while the second child remained at the home.
Police said the father took off with the 6-year-old child in a small white van.
Officers located the vehicle on the 91 Freeway in Buena Park and attempted a traffic stop, which initiated the pursuit.
The slow-moving van traveled westbound along the 91 Freeway, moving through Bellflower and toward the Long Beach area with officers from the Anaheim Police Department and the California Highway Patrol in pursuit.
During the chase along the 91 Freeway, the father stopped the van and was seen holding a backpack, police said.
He allegedly threw the backpack over a freeway overpass onto an oncoming vehicle below. The driver and passenger of that second vehicle retrieved the backpack and fled the scene, police said.
A police helicopter tracked the second vehicle, allowing officers to later pull it over and take both occupants into custody after discovering a firearm and narcotics inside the retrieved bag.
The pursuit ended when the father stopped his van on a freeway overpass along the westbound 91 Freeway in Compton, authorities said. He surrendered and was taken into custody.
The 6-year-old child inside the van was found unharmed and has since been reunited with the mother.
The father was arrested on narcotics and weapons charges, while the two occupants of the second vehicle were also arrested on narcotics and firearm-related offenses, according to police.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not yet formally released the names of the father or the two individuals arrested in the secondary vehicle.
What's next:
Investigators with the Anaheim Police Department are actively looking into the circumstances surrounding the incident to determine if child custody kidnapping charges will be formally filed against the father in addition to the weapons and narcotics counts.
The case will be submitted to prosecutors for formal filing.
The Source: This report is based on information from the California Highway Patrol and the Anaheim Police Department.