A pursuit that began in a stolen car and ended in a pickup came to a crashing conclusion Wednesday night that was captured on security cameras outside a San Fernando Valley gas station.
The pursuit began around 9:30 p.m. near the 101 and 134 freeway interchange in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles. The driver abandoned the stolen car under a freeway overpass, then hopped into a pickup driven by another man, likely an accomplice who planned to meet the man to change vehicles, police said.
The stolen car was found abandoned under the overpass.
After the switcheroo, the chase continued at speeds around 100 mph on streets and freeways. The driver narrowly missed pedestrians crossed the street before the dangerous rampage came to an end in North Hollywood.
A network of newly installed security cameras at a Shell gas station captured the pickup as it slammed head-on into a building under construction. Construction worker Juan Rodriguez said he thought the location looked familiar when he saw the pursuit video.
"When he crashed, right away I recognized it," said Rodriguez, back at the work site on Thursday. "We've been working on it for about a week."
He said the security camera system was installed about one month ago.
"They're working, so they've got it all on tape," Rodriguez said.
The video shows the passenger get out of the pickup with his hands raised over his head. The driver can been seen sprinting from the scene.
Police Chases
Video from Southern California's police pursuits and follow-ups on what happened after the chase
"The driver tried to run away and the cops just ran right after him," said witness Angel Pena. "The other guy didn't have time to get out of the truck."
The driver was eventually chased down by officers.
The men were arrested and booked on suspicion of felony evading. Their identities were not available early Thursday afternoon.
No one was injured in the chase or crash.
