Pedestrian Hit In 3-Hour Police Chase And Freeway Standoff

CULVER CITY, CA — A man hit a pedestrian while leading police on a three-hour chase across three counties that ended in a standoff that shutdown the Golden State (5) Freeway for 45 minutes, authorities said.

It all started with a broken rear window on a red Honda Civic in Culver City. It ended in Oceanside with thousands of motorists stranded on the 5 Freeway.

The chase began just before 11 a.m. near Sepulveda and Washington boulevards in Culver City when Culver City police stopped the driver for the vehicle code violation, said Culver City Police Lt. Troy Dunlap. Culver City police started the chase but broke off the chase for safety reasons. They were informed minutes later by Los Angeles police that the suspect had struck a person on a motorized scooter in the Playa del Rey area, Dunlap said. Culver City police re-entered the chase, but Los Angeles police eventually took over the chase.

The scooter rider was hit in the 7800 block of West Manchester Avenue and was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The impact smashed the front windshield of the suspect's car before he allegedly took off. Police pursued the driver at slow speeds along Westchester-area streets. Police tried four times to stop the vehicle using PIT maneuvers, each time spinning the car around, but the motorist was able to drive away and elude capture. The Honda lost a rear bumper during the fourth PIT maneuver.

After the final PIT attempt, the suspect picked up speed and got on the southbound San Diego (405) Freeway, driving through Orange County and into San Diego County near Oceanside, where the suspect pulled to a stop alongside the 5 Freeway around 1:30 p.m. It was unclear if the suspect merely gave up the chase or ran out of gas.

Despite coming to a stop, the suspect refused to immediately come out of the vehicle, although he opening the car door at least twice. Around 2:15 p.m., the suspect opened the door and partially stepped out, at which point a police dog was deployed and officers fired two bean bag rounds, one of which hit the suspect in the face. The man was also bitten by the police dog.

Officers swarmed the car and took the suspect -- identified by the California Highway Patrol as Karl Flores -- into custody. Flores' age and hometown were not immediately available.

CHP officials said Flores was belligerent toward officers during the freeway standoff and refused to obey commands to exit the vehicle. According to the CHP, officers were in contact with Flores' wife during the standoff, and she said he had served in the military and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The southbound 5 Freeway was closed during the standoff, stranding thousands of motorists.

City News Service contributed to this report. Photo: YouTube Screengrab