Suspect In Valley Car Chase, Switches Cars And Slams Into Building

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A man driving a suspected stolen pickup truck led police on an 80-minute chase Wednesday evening through the San Fernando Valley before crashing into a North Hollywood automotive shop where police took him into custody.

The chase was estimated to have begun about 9:30 p.m. in the area of the Hollywood (101) Freeway near the Ventura (134) Freeway where officers were in pursuit of a suspected stolen vehicle, according to Officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Division.

Police were trying to confirm if the suspect was the same suspect in a chase that began in the Burbank area about 30 minutes prior, Madison said, which also involved a stolen vehicle.

It was believed that the suspect from the earlier chase abandoned the vehicle he was driving while under an overpass in the North Hollywood area and took another vehicle, according to broadcast reports.

There was a passenger traveling with the suspect in the truck but it wasn't immediately clear if the he or she was a kidnap victim or a friend helping the driver.

The chase, which reached speeds upwards of 100 mph, ended when the truck crashed into a light pole and automotive shop around 10:50 p.m. near the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Oxnard Street.

No civilians were believed to be injured in the chase or crash, police said.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock