A police pursuit took a strange turn Tuesday afternoon when the driver and two other people ran from a car, through traffic and into street-side brush in the Sepulveda Pass area.
Police said they had apprehended three suspects, detaining the final man after he surrendered following a descent from a brush-covered hillside.
The hours-long search snarled the commute through the traffic-prone Sepulveda Pass.
The off-ramps leaving the southbound lanes of the 405 Freeway are closed between Mulholland Drive and Skirball Center. Southbound Sepulveda Boulevard near Mulholland Drive is closed while officers search for the men.
Traffic on the northbound lanes is snarled from the 10 Freeway to Skirball Center. The Skirball Jewish Cultural Center is not allowing anyone inside and, with the guidance of security, some people are being let out.
At least three schools -- Berkley Hall, Curtis School and Milken School -- were placed on lockdown during the search.
Wearing bright red pants and a white long-sleeved shirt, one of the men stumbled through brush and up a hillside near the 405 Freeway, according to aerial footage. The man took frequent breaks as he climbed the steep terrain.
He was apprehended on the baseball field of Berkeley Hall School, a private campus off Mulholland Drive, aerial video showed.
Another suspect was taken down by K-9 officers. Shortly thereafter, the third suspect descended from the hillside to face multiple officers with guns drawn.
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One of the men at one point appeared to have run into a homeless emcampment while fleeing from police officers, some of whom climbed into the steep terrain in search of the pair. That man was seen wearing a letterman jacket.
LAPD's off-road patrols (pictured below) climbed the hillside, peering into heavy brush in search of the men.
The three people apprehended were wanted in connection with a burglary in the San Fernando Valley. The chase began shortly before 2 p.m. in the Woodland Hills area and transitioned onto the freeway (map), according to LAPD officials.
While traveling on the southbound 101 Freeway, the driver crashed into a car near the White Oak exit before continuing forward.
At least two men ran from the car near Mulholland Drive. They wove through stopped traffic before jumping a hedge and running up the hillside.
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View Hillside pursuit of burglary suspects in a larger map
