South LA police pursuit ends after rim catches fire on allegedly stolen pickup truck
LOS ANGELES - An erratic driver in a reportedly stolen pickup truck took authorities on a high-speed pursuit Friday morning around South Los Angeles, crashing into at least two vehicles.
California Highway Patrol officers began the pursuit after the gold Chevrolet truck was allegedly stolen out of Pomona around 10 a.m.
The male driver was seen driving erratically and, at times, on the wrong side of the road. There was a female passenger inside the vehicle during the pursuit.
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The Los Angeles Police Department took over the pursuit when the vehicle entered the South LA area.
That pursuit suspect was seen circling through neighborhood streets near Manchester and Central avenues.
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Just before 11 a.m., officers deployed a spike strip in an attempt to slow down the dangerous driver, to no avail.
A short time later, the driver got onto the 110 Freeway near Century Boulevard and reached speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour before clipping another vehicle causing a spinout.
The driver then began to drive the wrong direction on the righthand shoulder of the 110 before striking another vehicle head-on as they were entering a freeway on-ramp.
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It was unclear if any injuries were reported.
The driver exited the freeway and returned to surface streets, after briefing driving on a sidewalk on Manchester Avenue.
The driver struck another pickup truck around 11:30 a.m. The driver of the other truck appeared to attempt to block the allegedly stolen vehicle, in order to allow LAPD officers to move in.
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The suspect driver continued to ram the white pickup truck until it was able to get around the other truck.
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At some point, the truck lost its back left tire and the rims were seen sparking as he continued down roadways.
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Around 11:50 a.m. the pursuit suspect stopped the vehicle in the middle of the street and attempted to take off on a foot pursuit.
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He was apprehended by LAPD officers only moments later. The passenger was also taken into custody.
Additional details were not immediately available.