Car Chase Passes Though South Gate, Ends with Suspect Shot Dead by Police

By City News Service

A man who led police on a 60-minute chase from Cudahy to downtown Los Angeles that involved three separate police agencies died Saturday as the result of an officer-involved shooting.

The chase at one point passed through South Gate, where sheriff's deputies attempted to deploy a spike strip.  

The man, who was shot an unknown number of times as he exited a late- model silver Corvette at the end of the chase, was pronounced dead at a hospital at 2:30 a.m., Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Lt. Andy Neiman said.

The shooting will be investigated by the LAPD Force Investigation Division, Neiman said.

The chase ended at 10:30 p.m. Friday when the Corvette struck an unidentified vehicle at the intersection of East Olympic Boulevard and South Los Angeles Street, LAPD Officer Rosario Herrera said.

A videographer at the scene said the Corvette appeared to have struck a Nissan Maxima from behind, and sustained extensive damage to the front end.

Aerial footage that was broadcast showed the suspect being shot and collapsing on his back on a sidewalk, on what the videographer said was the northwest corner of the intersection.

The footage and the videographer's description suggested the suspect was a white male, wearing jeans, a grey sweatshirt and white shoes.

Another videographer said CPR was performed on the suspect, who was then taken away by ambulance.

The vehicle had been pursued by Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and California Highway Patrol vehicles before the LAPD took over at 10:16 p.m., Herrera said.

"It was in our jurisdiction and it just happened that the officers were in the area," Herrera said. "We did go into tailing mode and then we went into pursuit."

Lt. Josh Barton of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department East Los Angeles station said the pursuit began in Cudahy at 9:30 p.m., when deputies attempted to pull the driver over for drunk and reckless driving.