Venice Assault Prompts High-Speed Police Chase

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Venice assault suspect led police on a high-speed box-truck chase through Downtown Los Angeles Tuesday morning while spilling cases of marijuana into the roadway.

Eventually, the suspect was taken into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Alba Mendez.

The chase began at 3:30 a.m. when officers responded to reports of shots fired in the 900 block of Venice Boulevard, Mendez said. When the officers arrived, the victim pointed them to the alleged shooter in a nearby truck, she said.

The suspect attempted to flee at high speeds, causing sparks to fly from the back of the box truck, NBC Los Angeles reported. The partially-closed truck couldn’t contain its cargo during the chase, and boxes of marijuana fell from the truck, spilling large stalks of apparent Cannabis plants into the streets of Los Angeles.

According to NBC, the cargo was stolen during the burglary of a Venice dispensary, but the LAPD would not confirm the report Tuesday. LAPD officer Lizeth Lomeli told KTLA that officers found evidence of a burglary at a nearby business.

The suspect surrendered in the area of 41st Street and Wadsworth Avenue and was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, according to the LAPD.