Man breaks into Hollywood dealership, leads police on wild chase with stolen vehicle

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspect accused of stealing a car from the Toyota dealership in Hollywood, ramming through several fences and gates before leading police on a wild pursuit, was taken into custody Friday morning.

The incident started around 11:20 p.m. Thursday when officers responded to a break-in at the dealership on Hollywood Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police told ABC7 officers weren't sure if there were other suspects so they waited and watched the suspect. It was easy since the dealership has large glass windows and the suspect was visible.

Video obtained by Eyewitness News shows the suspect searching through desks and calmly walking through the property.

"Obviously, you have enough officers on scene, you see one guy only inside, you're dealing with a location that has plenty of windows, which is something we find very advantageous to gain information on the suspect," said Bruce Thomas, a local law enforcement expert.

Officers directed the suspect to exit the dealership, but he instead grabbed keys from the lock box and got into a white sedan. Once behind the wheel, video shows him driving through a chain-link fence in the dealership lot before ramming through a security gate and taking off.

ABC7 visited the dealership Friday and asked to speak with the general manager about the incident. They said they did not want to comment due to the ongoing investigation. One person with the dealership did speak with ABC7 off-camera and said they believe police should have moved in when they could. They felt it gave the suspect time to get out.

"I think the strategy was not a strategy. I think they just wanted to wait and call him out like they did and hope he just walked out," said Thomas. "Clearly, he's not going to do that. He's clearly not acting in the most appropriate way. so you have to have a plan, and the plan is to go in with less lethal, Tasers, stun bag guns."

During the chase that ensued, officers used a spike strip and tried to perform a PIT maneuver to stop him, but those efforts failed.

The suspect eventually made his way to a Lamborghini dealership in Beverly Hills. He was taken into custody around 2 a.m.

Additional details were not available.