Lake Forest Tow Truck Driver Surrenders

A driver of a Lake Forest tow truck that was the subject of a televised police pursuit that wound its way around Los Angeles has surrendered.

The driver of that truck exited the vehicle at 6:42 p.m. and was taken into custody by police in Glendale. The truck is registered to Portola Towing in Lake Forest. The slow speed pursuit went along city streets in Hollywood and Los Feliz and was being streamed at nbc4.

"I'm not going to hurt anybody," the driver said to a reporter from NBC 4, who was driving a news van that found itself alongside the truck.

Robert Kovack, the NBC employee, reported that "Javy" said "they're trying to give me a ticket and I didn't do anything wrong."

The suspect was in some sort of altercation with police; he is apparently a friend of the tow truck driver.

The chase began about 4:25 p.m., near Magnolia and Woodman avenues in Sherman Oaks, with the driver leading police through Studio City into Hollywood, Los Angeles police Officer Karen Rayner said.

The driver appeared to be obeying most traffic laws, though he did make at least one illegal left hand turn.

He also chatted with a motorcyclist while at a stoplight at 6:30 p.m.

The tow truck, affiliated with AAA, belongs to Portola Towing in Lake Forest, but the man driving is apparently a friend of the regular driver, according to a person who answered the phone at the business.

Kovack reported that Javy was "very articulate and very matter of fact."

The LAPD said that the suspect was involved in an altercation with cops at the scene of an auto accident in the San Fernando Valley.