A group of apparent dirt bike riders, including some doing wheelies, came dangerously close to an allegedly armed suspect fleeing police on the 110 Freeway Tuesday.
The Los Angeles Police Department said the pursuit began at about 5:30 p.m. near the intersection of Sherman Way and Woodman Avenue in North Hollywood, with the driver stealing a white Mercedes and being armed but tossing the firearm out the window of the vehicle during the chase.
The more-than-hourlong chase began just after 5:15 p.m. in the North Hollywood area.
The suspect blew through stop signs and traffic lights in the San Fernando Valley before getting onto the 101 Freeway and transitioning to the southbound 405 Freeway, where he reached speeds of more than 100 mph through the Sepulveda Pass.
The driver exited the 405 Freeway near the Marina Del Rey area and continued to recklessly drive through busy intersections and into oncoming traffic.
By 6:15 p.m., the suspect was speeding eastbound on Slauson Avenue in the Hyde Park area, weaving in and out of traffic, running red lights and at times moving into empty oncoming lanes.
About five minutes later, in one of the chase’s most harrowing moments, the driver encountered nearly a dozen dirt bike riders as the SUV entered the northbound 110 Freeway, with the suspect merging onto the freeway while being passed closely by the motorcyclists, some of whom were popping wheelies with their front wheel in the air.
Sky5 was over the scene as the suspect entered the northbound 110 Freeway from Slauson Avenue and encountered a group of eight motorcyclists, one of whom was performing a wheelie while standing on the seat.
The suspect, with a patrol cruiser not far behind, narrowly missed the group while driving on the shoulder, with one of the motorcyclists appearing to watch the pursuit unfold from just feet away.
As the chase continued on the freeway, the suspect struck several drivers while on the 10 Freeway, causing visible damage to the SUV.
LAPD managed to remain in pursuit despite going into tracking mode at one point.
Just before 6:30 p.m., the driver exited the freeway and entered a downtown L.A. parking structure at the intersection of Hill and Eighth streets, with police immediately setting up a perimeter around the parking garage and launching a search for the suspect.
Police say multiple people inside the vehicle were detained, but officers are still searching for one additional person.
According to the LAPD Central Division, a pursuit entered the downtown area and terminated near Eighth Street and Hill Street, with multiple suspects detained at that point but one outstanding, as a perimeter was established for officers to continue searching the area.
Initial reports indicated the SUV was may have been stolen in the Laguna Beach area, and that the suspect was possibly armed with a handgun.