This suspect did something highly unusual, even for Los Angeles. When the vehicle he was being chased by police in became undrivable, he carjacked an innocent bystander and continued attempting to elude police. It didn’t help much in the long run and will hurt quite a bit once the unnamed fugitive stands in front of a judge.
Suspect switches cars
It’s a pretty rare thing to have a crime suspect switch vehicles in the middle of a police chase. Reporters in Los Angeles have something new to write about after the bizarre encounter LAPD had on Friday, April 7.
A driver they were chasing in a “damaged pickup” startled cops by ditching it and jumping into the back of an SUV, stopped in traffic. The incident happened “during a two-hour chase on streets and freeways near LAX and several South Los Angeles communities.”
According to police, the suspect driver “was wanted in connection with an attempted murder.” They weren’t ready to start giving any details on that aspect yet. What they did say is that the “chase began about noon in the area of 99th Street and Avalon Boulevard in the South Los Angeles area.” Eventually, cops trailed him into Westchester.
Moment suspect in car chase is apprehended by LAPD pic.twitter.com/6pOfd7jhMn
— GordonsNews (@NewsGordons) April 7, 2023
“The pickup with at least one shredded tire bumped cars out of the way at an intersection near the airport.”
With police hanging on his bumper, “the pickup emerged from under an overpass and, about a block later, the driver got out of the pickup and got into the rear of a SUV that was stopped on the street. That SUV then took off with the driver in the back seat.”
Unless that driver was expecting to make the pickup, they learned a big lesson on locking their doors at all times. There were two other people besides the murder suspect in the destroyed pickup. They got out but didn’t get in the SUV. It’s not clear if they got into custody.
It might have been arranged
There is a chance that the SUV belonged to associates of the suspect and the pickup was arranged. It did go smoothly. Police aren’t exactly clear on that subject.
What they do report is that “the chase continued through several South Los Angeles communities with a line of patrol SUVs in pursuit.” It wasn’t a quick one. “At some point, a rear tire of the SUV was damaged.”
Police continued dogging the suspect until the chase finally ended “in a West Carson neighborhood.” This is where the cops start getting a little sketchy with what they’re saying.
#BREAKING: #Pursuit suspect wanted for attempted murder who led LAPD on a chase across LA County, at one point ditching one vehicle and getting into another, taken into custody. MORE: https://t.co/CxT2bIjT0O pic.twitter.com/4gMt1A1QeM
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) April 7, 2023
That could be because they don’t want to jeopardize an ongoing investigation or mess up any prosecutions when this madness goes to court.
According to the official police statement, after they finally got the SUV to stop, they took “at least one person” into custody. The local NBC affiliate reports that “It was not immediately clear whether that person is the attempted murder suspect.”
It can pretty much be expected that if they only arrested one individual, that would be the prime candidate. The wording indicates they may have taken the driver away in cuffs as well but aren’t willing to commit to that yet. There may or may not have been passengers but if so, any charges they face would most likely have to do with outstanding warrants.
