Los Angeles Police Chase: Domestic Violence Suspect Arrested After 3-Hour-Long Pursuit (Video)

A domestic violence suspect led the police on a wild pursuit across multiple counties Wednesday, with a female passenger in the car.

The pursuit started in Los Angeles County, after the South Gate police received reports of a man beating a woman in a car. Law enforcement initially tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver refused to yield, which set off the pursuit. The female victim was in the vehicle when the chase started. It was unclear whether anyone else was in the car, CW-affiliated KTLA reported.

Around 5:30 p.m. local time (8:30 p.m. EDT), the police were chasing the suspect in the Huntington Park and South Gate neighborhoods of South Los Angeles. At one point, the suspect arrived at a dead end of a park, where there was a construction site. Instead of pulling over, he crashed through the fence and sped across a grass field before making his way back onto side streets.

The chase went southbound on Interstate 710 shortly before 6 p.m. The driver exited the city of Bellflower and headed toward Long Beach. After the vehicle entered Orange County, the driver sped on the wrong side of the road at times, driving against incoming traffic. In an attempt to evade authorities, the driver also drove on the sidewalk, causing pedestrians to jump out of the way.

This caused the police to block opposing traffic at intersections in Huntington Beach where the suspect sped through red traffic light signals and made several sharp U-turns. Two hours into the chase, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) joined in, which continued on the 22 Freeway, then onto the 605 Freeway and the 105 Freeway.

At different points during the chase, the female passenger’s legs were seen through the front seat window, where she appeared to be struggling with the driver for the control of the steering wheel. The driver was seen at times making obscene gestures toward helicopter surveillance and waving at people on the road.

When the vehicle was near Huntington Park, it slowed down and the passenger door opened. The woman made attempts to get out of the car but was restrained by the suspect. The door closed and the chase continued toward downtown Los Angeles.

The CHP tried to carry out the PIT maneuver (a tactic by which a pursuing car can force a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop). One of the patrol vehicles even managed to touch the bumper of the Honda Accord the suspect was driving but was unable to make it stop.

The suspect continued driving through East Los Angeles, onto the 710 Freeway. According to an update from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Norwalk Station, the chase was still continuing as of 11 p.m. EDT.

According to Press Telegram, the suspect finally stopped at a parking lot of a 99 Cents Store in Rowland Heights, around 17 miles from where the chase started. Officers evacuated the building after the bare-chested suspect fled the car and ran into the store. He was detained around 11:20 p.m. EDT.

The female passenger, who was believed to be violently beaten by the suspect, remained in the car and was treated by paramedics. The relation between the suspect and the victim was not known.