A tri-county pursuit and standoff finally came to an end in the San Diego area after the man behind the wheel of a mangled Honda allegedly struck a person on a scooter amid the chase in the LA area Wednesday afternoon.
The driver, identified by officials as Karl Flores, left the dilapidated 2002 Honda following a 45-minute standoff on the side of the 5 Freeway in the Camp Pendleton area.
Flores, who officials said has a military background, was taken into custody with the help of a K-9 officer, and given medical care for an apparent injury to his face.
Traffic was backed up for miles on the southbound 5 Freeway in the San Diego region following the standoff.
The Los Angeles Police Department and Culver City police initially began pursuing the car in the Culver City area around 11:15 a.m. Shortly thereafter, Flores allegedly struck a person on a scooter in Playa del Rey.
Despite a damaged windshield from that crash, and four PIT maneuver attempts that sent car parts flying, the driver kept going. The person riding the scooter was taken to the hospital for treatment, and suffered non-life threatening injuries, officials said.
He crossed into San Diego County on the 5 Freeway early Thursday afternoon.
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People lined on overpasses appeared to be snapping photos and taking video of the chase.
Along with the damage to the Honda's windshield, the rear view window was completely knocked out.
California Highway Patrol officers were blocking some freeway entrance ramps, reducing traffic on what is usually a busy stretch of Southern California freeway.
"That is our goal, to keep other drivers away from this driver so in the event they do a PIT maneuver or the driver decides to stop... we can keep other vehicles as safe as possible," said CHP Officer Paul Fox.
By 12:40 p.m., the driver had entered the Westminster area, still traveling on the 405 Freeway. Meanwhile, police in the Playa del Rey area were investigating the scene of the hit-and-run, which showed a scooter laying damaged on the ground.
Flores ultimately ended up on the 5 Freeway in San Diego County.
He was expected to be arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run charges.
