Suspect crashes Chevy Corvette during Southern California police pursuit
A man crashed his Chevrolet Corvette convertible into a tree and an innocent driver during a police pursuit through Orange and Los Angeles counties.
The California Highway Patrol said the suspect was wanted for speeding in Orange County.
The suspect drove through several freeways while waving at officers before entering the 91 Freeway in the Downey-Norwalk area to make his way to LA County. The convertible, which had its roof down for the majority of the pursuit, appeared to have paper license plates.
After driving around on the freeways for more than 15 minutes, the suspect exited onto city streets in the Compton area.
He continued to drive erratically, nearly crashing into the back of another car.
CHP officers backed off the pursuit shortly after the suspect exited the freeway, but the Torrance Police Department picked up the pursuit for a brief time.
After Torrance police backed off, the suspect drove into a gas station and parked. Officers arrived shortly after and tried to arrest him, but the suspect sped away, with the convertible's roof partially up, nearly losing control of the car after driving over a sidewalk.
With officers trailing behind, the suspect sped through a red light, nearly striking cross traffic at an intersection.
He made a U-turn a bit later but got caught in traffic as officers pulled up behind him.
Stuck in traffic, the suspect accelerated into a sidewalk, striking an SUV stopped in front of him and a tree. He tried to accelerate over the tree before putting his hands up in front of the officers.
However, he did not immediately exit the car. He appeared to be on his phone, holding it in the air as officers moved in and arrested him.