Suspect arrested after South Gate barricade, high-speed chase
ARCADIA, Calif. (KABC) -- A suspect fled from police at speeds up to 130 mph on freeways from Arcadia to Commerce and then barricaded himself in a South Gate movie theater Thursday night.
After a lengthy barricade in the theater, the male suspect was taken into custody shortly before 9 p.m.
Police later identified the suspect as Christopher Cook, 27, of La Mirada.
Police say the chase started when someone stole a "bait package" with a police tracking device off a porch in the 1600 block of Holly Avenue in Arcadia around 6:39 p.m.
Officers chased the suspect, tracking the package to a parking lot in Hacienda Heights. They say he dumped the package in a Denny's parking lot and fled from officers.
AIR7HD's SkyMap 7 clocked the Hyundai Sonata on the southbound 710 Freeway at speeds up to 130 mph, weaving in and out of traffic before it exited onto surface streets in the Commerce area.
On surface streets, the car hit speeds over 60 mph before pulling into a parking garage in the 8600 block of Garfield Avenue in South Gate.
The driver was seen running into an Edwards Cinema theater. Police surrounded the theater to search for the suspect. He hid in a theater which was showing the Tom Hanks film "The Circle."
Witnesses say only three people were in that theater when the suspect entered. Security asked those other three audience members to exit, leaving the suspect in there alone as officers worked to negotiate and take him into custody.
Eventually he was arrested without further incident.
