Crime & Safety
Driver Who Allegedly Rammed CHP Officer Captured After Brief Standoff
A U-Hall truck driver who allegedly hit an officer on Topanga Canyon Boulevard was found in a backyard threatening to kill himself.
LOS ANGELES, CA - A 25-year-old man was arrested today after he rammed a U-Haul truck into a California Highway Patrol vehicle during a chase in the Topanga hills.
The incident began about 10:10 a.m. on Topanga Canyon Boulevard near Santa Maria Road, said CHP Officer Tony Polizzi.
A CHP officer who was holding traffic for a Caltrans crew working in the roadway spotted the suspect -- later identified as Joseph Henry Johnston of Winnetka -- driving a 2016 GMC panel van with a U-Haul logo on it south in northbound lanes and narrowly missing some of the workers and several oncoming vehicles.
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The officer tried to pull the van over, but the driver continued south on Topanga Canyon Boulevard with the CHP unit in pursuit.
The chase continued onto several canyon roads and at one point, the suspect lost control of the vehicle and came to a stop facing the wrong way in front of 1036 Fernwood Pacific Drive.
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"The suspect then drove in reverse on Fernwood to Mountain View Road and rammed the CHP Ford F-250 patrol truck, causing moderate damage to the front of the (vehicle)," according to a CHP statement.
After the collision, the suspect kept driving and the officer lost sight of the vehicle in the area of Sunken Trail and Valley View roads.
A search for Johnston was called off about noon, but about 12:50 p.m. a Topanga resident flagged down a CHP officer to report a suspicious person in the back yard of 618 Topanga Canyon Blvd.
"The suspicious person was later identified as the driver of the U-Haul truck," according to the CHP. "The suspect was acting erratically and confrontational."
Johnston threatened to kill himself, holding a knife to his throat, but officers were able to track down the man's father, who helped get him into custody at 2:05 p.m. without further incident.
Johnston, who was booked on suspicion of felony evading and assault with a deadly weapon, was placed on a 72-hour hold for a psychiatric evaluation.
A knife and hatchet were recovered.
City News Service