Police shot a man Monday who allegedly carjacked a woman at gunpoint and tried to pull at least two other drivers out of their cars during a wild, rush hour pursuit on streets and freeways in Los Angeles.
He was taken into custody after being shot by officers as he tried to run at the end of the chase on the 60 Freeway. The driver's condition was described by police as stable Tuesday morning. The man, whose identity was not released, was speaking with officers.
The high-speed pursuit that began in Boyle Heights ended in Montebello after a detour through downtown. It went as far south as Lynwood, with police firing shots at the fleeing suspect as he tried to carjack a second motorist.
The man allegedly ran up to Elizabeth Yarahuan's car, pointed a gun at her and ordered her out.
"He told me to get out of my car. He told me, like, twice. He just opened the door and that's when I ran out of the car," the South Gate resident told a group of reporters gathered near the spot where she was carjacked. "I was just scared he was going to hurt me."
He drove with abandonment, sometimes going against traffic, and collided with other vehicles several times. When he crashed on Imperial Highway near the Long Beach (710) Freeway in South Gate, he took Yarahuan's Volkswagen.
Marta Duron was one of the drivers who the man crashed into.
"Out of nowhere this car just hit me. It hit me so hard it was amazing," Duron said.
He was captured near Montebello when he crashed the Volkswagen and tried to take another car at gunpoint from a woman.
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Los Angeles police Officer Rosario Herrera said it was not clear what time the pursuit began or exactly where, but it was handled by the Hollenbeck Division, which deals with the eastern part of the city. The California Highway Patrol was notified of the pursuit at 5:37 p.m. The suspect was taken into custody about 6 p.m.
He was taken into custody on the Pomona (60) Freeway near the Findlay Avenue off-ramp in Montebello where he again had crashed. Several shots were fired, however it is unknown if the man opened fire on the police or on any civilians at any point during the pursuit.
The injured suspect was taken to a hospital. Police recovered a large semi-automatic pistol at the scene.
The eastbound 60 off-ramp at Garfield Avenue finally reopened just after 5 a.m. Tuesday after being closed due to the investigation.
