Two suspects were taken into custody Wednesday following a wild high-speed chase that wound along freeways and streets in the Downey and Norwalk areas before the driver got stuck in traffic in Bellflower.
It was not immediately clear exactly where or when the pursuit of the red SUV began, but by 4 p.m. the suspect had exited the Riverside (91) Freeway and was speeding along Studebaker Road then Rosecrans Avenue in the Downey area.
With one passenger in the vehicle, the driver sped along multiple streets, dodging attempts by sheriff’s deputies to disable the vehicle with spike strips. The driver narrowly missed striking several vehicles, and at one point made a sudden U-turn and weaved through the pursuing sheriff’s patrol vehicles.
The driver then avoided traffic on a congested street by taking the SUV onto a center median and driving over some bushes before returning to the roadway.
At about 4:20 p.m., the driver got stuck in traffic on Artesia Boulevard near Clark Avenue, and both he and his passenger bailed out of the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot, but both were quickly arrested outside a nearby strip mall.
ABC7 reported that the SUV had been stolen.