After ditching stolen truck, suspect flees LAPD on skateboard - doesn't get far
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Southern California has its share of wild police chases - but rarely do they end up on a skateboard.
Los Angeles police bodycam video shows a chase involving a stolen truck in which the suspect jumped out of the vehicle after spinning out and hopped on a skateboard in front of officers standing just feet away with their guns drawn.
The incident happened Feb. 13 around 6 a.m. in downtown Los Angeles.
A Chevy Silverado with a trailer attached was reported stolen near Flower Street and Jefferson Avenue. Officers soon spotted the truck at Exposition Boulevard and Western Avenue and tried to pull the driver over, but he fled, at one point hitting a parked vehicle but continuing.
Officers briefly chased the truck, with trailer still attached, but he soon lost control and spun out.
The LAPD officers drew their weapons and approached the truck, shouting repeatedly at the driver: "Stop, stop! ... Let me see your hands."
Instead, he hopped out of the truck and jumped onto a skateboard. He was wearing a reflective vest that made him easy to see in the early-morning darkness. Six officers took off after him on foot.
Other officers were already positioned down the street. As the skateboarder passed by, one officer stuck out his arms and pushed him off the board, then four of them jumped in and subdued him.
The suspect was later identified as Pedro Villalobos, 30, of Los Angeles. He is facing two counts of vehicle theft and one count of reckless evading.
The stolen Chevy pickup truck and trailer were returned to their owner.
Villalobos was hospitalized for a leg injury. A full department review of the incident is ongoing.
