For about two hours, CHP officers pursued an SUV driver on multiple freeways through the San Fernando Valley, the South Bay, Orange County and into San Diego County Monday afternoon.
The driver eventually surrendered on the 5 Freeway very close to the San Onofre nuclear power plant just before 2:30 p.m.
The chase initially went onto the northbound 101 Freeway near Hidden Hills about 12:30 p.m., and then reversed directions, coming back southbound.
The SUV, apparently a dark-colored Lincoln Navigator with tinted windows, was being driven somewhat erratically and faster than surrounding traffic, squeezing around slower vehicles and traveling in the shoulder, aerial video from Sky5 showed. The driver faced traffic conditions that were largely light.
From the southbound 101 Freeway, the Navigator headed northbound on the 405 Freeway and onto the 5 Freeway. About 1 p.m., the vehicle got onto the eastbound 210 Freeway, and then onto the westbound 118 Freeway and then onto the southbound 405 Freeway over the Sepulveda Pass.
The SUV passed LAX and headed into the South Bay about 1:30 p.m. Still on the southbound 405 Freeway, the driver passed through Long Beach and into Orange County around 1:50 p.m.
Two spike strips in Orange County failed to stop the Navigator, which continued onto the 5 Freeway into northern San Diego County.
California Highway Patrol Officer Juan Galvan said the driver was initially sought by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for reckless driving and driving under the influence. CHP Officer Edgar Figueroa said the motorist was male and had fled an attempted traffic stop in the SUV, which is registered to a Canoga Park address.
Authorities did not know if the driver was armed, Figueroa said.
“The disregard for public safety that this person has — the weaving in and out of lanes, the driving on the shoulder — that just demonstrates the level of desperation,” Figueroa said.
The Los Angeles Police Department urged the public to stay clear of the chase and not to intervene.
Monday afternoon’s pursuit came just a few hours after another long Southern California chase. A pursuit that began before dawn in the Long Beach area and likewise ended in northern San Diego County.
