A driver led police on a multi-county pursuit and narrowly avoided getting hit by cars after running on a freeway while trying to evade officers in Corona.
The chase began sometime around 8:20 p.m. Monday after La Habra police received a report of a stolen utility vehicle. The roughly hour-long chase escalated after officers surrounded the vehicle in a parking lot in Corona. However, the driver refused to cease and reversed into a police cruiser in order to break free.
“All of a sudden I saw the police cars in front of the cypress trees and I realized that’s our building,” said Mike Jarvis, project manager for Lakeview Professional Services, where the driver rammed through a chainlink fence to evade officers.
With the hood of the vehicle smoking, the driver traveled on the wrong way of the 91 Freeway, ultimately coming to a stop in the middle of the lanes. Refusing to surrender to officers, the driver then darted across the freeway, jumping over the center median that separated the east and west lanes of the 91.
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After safely making their way to the other side of the freeway, the driver, losing their wig in the process, then ran into a Denny's restaurant. After some time, officers made an arrest in the restaurant.
The chase began in La Habra and ended in Corona. It went through Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties as the driver led police through Chino, Ontario, Norco and other neighboring cities before ultimately ending in Corona.
Police Chases
Video from Southern California's police pursuits and follow-ups on what happened after the chase
The La Habra Police Department later identified the driver as 26-year-old Los Angeles resident, Niqwayzh Green. At the time of the pursuit, Green was on parole for burglary.
She is now in custody and faces charges that include assault with a deadly weapon, evading police and possession of stolen property.
