CHP arrests vandalism suspect after 2-hour chase on 405 and 5 fwys

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- CHP officers arrested a vandalism suspect after a lengthy chase on the northbound 405 and 5 freeways from Inglewood to Mettler Wednesday afternoon.

The male driver in a Mercedes sedan was wanted for vandalism of a hotel room, CHP officer Kevin Tao said.

He was arrested after a chase that lasted for more than two hours, mostly within freeway speed limits with few unusual maneuvers.

Officers followed him at varying speeds on the 405, at times through heavy traffic, but made few attempts to forcibly stop him. Officers placed spike strips on the freeway at least twice, but he managed to avoid them.

The suspect continued driving onto the northbound 5 Freeway with a CHP SUV behind him, but did not make any sudden lane changes or evasive maneuvers to escape.

He generally stayed within the speed limit, at times slowing to just 30-45 mph range when traffic was heavier. As traffic opened up on the 5, he remained within the freeway speed limit.

The chase started with Inglewood police and proceeded with CHP officers up the 405 to West Los Angeles, through the Sepulveda Pass, past the 101 Freeway interchange and up into the Van Nuys area.

The vehicle then transitioned onto the northbound 5 Freeway near Sylmar and continued north past the Pyramid Lake area. Officers followed him into a thick dust storm in the Grapevine area heading toward Bakersfield.

With no officers initially visible, he then pulled over to a Chevron gas station on Maricopa Highway in Mettler. He waited a few minutes, moved his car to another pump and then went inside the store.

Several minutes passed before a CHP vehicle pulled up and officers took the man into custody without further incident, more than two hours after the chase began.