Downtown LA

Dangerous Police Pursuit of Black SUV Ends in City of Commerce

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After someone in a black SUV pointed a gun at a deputy responding to a call about an assault with a deadly weapon with a knife, a dangerous police pursuit started in the Pico Rivera area Sunday and traveled through the San Gabriel Valley, East Los Angeles and downtown LA, before eventually ending in the city of Commerce more than an hour after it started.

The pursuit started in the Pico Rivera area after a gun was pointed at a deputy, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

The department said that the initial call of assault with a deadly weapon with a knife was unrelated to the vehicle that led police on a long Sunday drive.

As the driver evaded police and attempted to get away from authorities, he regularly hit speeds well above the posted limits, drove on the wrong side of the street and blew through stop signs and red lights without hesitation.

At one point, the driver even went through a red light where a flash from a red light camera could be seen.

A police chase that started in the Pico Rivera ended related to an assault with a deadly weapon ended in the city of Commerce after traveling for more than an hour through the San Gabriel Valley, downtown LA, East LA and Vernon on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020.

The SUV was traveling on the southbound 605 Freeway, approaching Beverly Boulevard, around 5:15 p.m. On the freeway, the driver began driving on the outside shoulder to avoid traffic and stay away from chasing patrol cars.

As the driver moved onto surface streets, a police cruiser attempted a couple PIT maneuvers, with the second try turning the SUV. However, the driver regained control of his vehicle and continued leading the chase.

A short time later, one person jumped out of the black SUV and ran across a busy intersection. As the SUV continued, two more people jumped of the of the vehicle and walked away. But the driver continued on.

The black SUV moved westward and was in the downtown LA area around 5:40 p.m., before heading back towards Vernon around 5:45 p.m.

Around 5:55 p.m., the car moved onto the westbound 10 Freeway from the 710 Freeway.

Around 6 p.m., the driver was stuck in traffic and officers appeared to be preparing to approach the pursuit vehicle, but the driver inched forward, and officers decided to get back into their vehicle and continue the chase.

After hopping onto the 101 Freeway for a moment, the SUV moved onto surface streets in the Boyle Heights area, continuing to drive on the wrong side of the street.

Eventually, the black SUV spun out in the city of Commerce, with the driver and one remaining passenger jumping out of the black SUV. The passenger was tracked down and arrested fairly quickly.

The driver, however, ran through a neighborhood, hopped a fence and evaded police until he seemed to run out of breath. Then, he surrendered without further incident and was taken into custody around 6:20 p.m.

In all, five people were arrested related to the pursuit.

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