Suspect Stops For Gas, Crashes Twice During Wild San Fernando Valley Pursuit

LOS ANGELES, CA — A suspected burglar was taken into custody Friday after leading police on a roughly 90-minute chase across the San Fernando Valley that included a stop for gas, a collision with a pickup truck and a wrong-way crash into a California Highway Patrol cruiser.

The pursuit began shortly after 10 a.m. near Oxnard Street and Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The driver led officers on and off the 101 and 405 freeways and through several Valley neighborhoods before he was arrested.

At one point, the driver stopped at a gas station on Nordhoff Street and appeared to refuel before driving off again, broadcast video showed.

A motorcyclist later pulled alongside the fleeing car and appeared to exchange words with the driver. ABC 7 reported that the motorcyclist approached the sedan while it was stopped and tried to open the front passenger-side door before the driver sped away.

The pursuit then continued into a parking structure at Cal State Northridge. Police attempted to contain the driver inside the structure, but he managed to leave and return to surface streets, KTLA reported.

Soon afterward, the sedan was broadsided by a pickup truck at an intersection. Officers approached the car on foot, but the driver fled again.

Police deployed multiple spike strips during the chase. At least one appeared to damage a passenger-side tire, which began shredding as the pursuit continued, according to KTLA.

The driver eventually returned to the southbound 405 Freeway and made a U-turn, traveling in the wrong direction before losing control and crashing head-on into a CHP cruiser.

The driver got out of the car and ran down an embankment before officers caught him moments later.

A CHP officer was injured in the crash and taken by ambulance for treatment, KTLA reported. The officer appeared to be conscious and speaking with emergency personnel.

The collision temporarily blocked nearly all lanes of the 405 near Nordhoff Street, according to the station.

Authorities had not released the suspect's identity or details about the burglary investigation as of Friday afternoon.

City News Service contributed to this report.