Suspect in custody after hour-long standoff on 91 Freeway following high-speed chase

LOS ANGELES -- A driver was arrested after leading police on a high speed chase over Los Angeles freeways, finally ending on the 91 Freeway after a crash followed by an hour-long standoff.

The crash and subsequent standoff shut down the 91 freeway in both directions near Cherry Avenue in the North Long Beach area for more than an hour. Though traffic on local freeways has been much lighter during the coronavirus pandemic, cars were backing up to the 405 Freeway.

The chase started around 3 p.m. near downtown Los Angeles with a report of an assault suspect possibly armed with a shotgun. The driver led police on a chase at high speeds over the 110 Freeway and then onto the eastbound 91.

At one point he got off the freeway then jumped back on, then crashed into one vehicle near Central Avenue. He later crashed into another pickup truck.

By the time the chase ended on the eastbound 91, the car had sustained heavy damage, with its entire front end smashed-in. The vehicle slowly weaved across lanes and then came to a stop on the 91 near Cherry.

At that point, the shirtless driver refused to surrender, gesturing and shouting to police and getting in and out of the vehicle. At one point, it appeared officers fired a beanbag round at the suspect, leading him to get back into the vehicle. A SWAT team headed to the scene.

More than a dozen police vehicles shut down the eastbound side of the 91 and then the westbound was closed as well as they negotiated with the suspect to surrender.

The standoff continued as the suspect repeatedly got in and out of the vehicle, appearing to be ready to surrender and then changing his mind. A police K-9 sat at the ready on the other side of the freeway barrier ready to go once given the word.

Finally officers moved in, swarmed the suspect and took him into custody after a standoff that lasted about an hour.