A man sought in a San Fernando Valley murder and robbery was arrested in a chaotic pursuit and carjacking that left one person dead after the victim was dragged by his own SUV for more than two miles on an Inglewood street.
The deadly chain of events began as police were conducting a surveillance operation on the wanted man in the 5900 block of 7th Avenue. Detectives watched the man get into the passenger side of a vehicle and leave the area.
A short pursuit began after officers tried to get the driver to pull over, police said. The brief chase ended in a crash at Florence and Haas avenues in Inglewood.
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"The murder suspect got out of the passenger side and carjacked another vehicle," police said in a statement. "The murder suspect drove away from Florence Avenue and Haas Avenue, dragging the carjacking victim."
The carjacking victim, entangled in a seatbelt, was dragged on the street for more than two mile before he was dislodged, police said.
Tina Atkins, who was picking up her children at an after-school program, described a horrifying scene.
"We just saw a car coming straight at us with a dead body hanging out of the bottom," Atkins said. "I hopped the curb with my kids in the car because I didn't want them to hit me."
Atkins' car and an undercover police vehicle were struck during the chase.
The pursuit ended when the driver crashed near East Florence Avenue and North Prairie Avenue, near Edward Vincent Jr. Park. The SUV flipped, but the man refused to exit, leading to a standoff near a cemetery.
A SWAT team responded and the man eventually surrendered nearly two hours later.
The victim was found on the street about three houses south of where his stolen SUV flipped and came to rest. Details about the man's identity were not immediately available.
He died at the scene.
The suspect was wanted in a killing during the robbery of a Reseda-area jewelry store. Joshua Reneau, 31, was expected to be booked on suspicion of murder after he was treated for a severe facial injury he sustained during the pursuits and wrecks.
The driver who crashed the other vehicle was also taken into custody, according to police.
According to law enforcement officials, Reneau was wanted for the July 29 robbery and shooting at a tattoo and marijuana business on Sherman Way near Reseda Boulevard, where two men were shot and a security guard returned gunfire. The victims, who survived their gunshot wounds, told police three men had robbed them, and about an hour after the gunfight officers responded to another call in the 18300 block of Saticoy Street in Reseda and found a shooting victim in what also was believed to be a jewelry robbery.
The 32-year-old man later died at a hospital.
Early Thursday morning, LAPD officers and FBI agents arrested two others suspected of being involved in the July holdups and shootings. Operations Valley Bureau Homicide Detectives arrested 28-year-old Derek Hall, of West Covina, and 20-year-old, Miracole Brown, of South Los Angeles, on suspicion of robbery and murder. Bail was set at $2 million.
Later that day, detective obtained a murder arrest warrant for Reneau.
A court date was scheduled for Monday.
Court and jail records show Reneau was charged on Sept. 15 with violating the terms of his Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) that stemmed from a prior conviction.
