Police Corner Stolen Taxi After 2-Hour Pursuit

A man who led police on a two-hour, slow-speed pursuit through South Los Angeles on Friday surrendered when a police SUV spun out the green Toyota Prius taxi the man was driving.

The pursuit began at 1:30 p.m. in the Inglewood area in connection with an alleged carjacking in South Los Angeles, authorities said.

It ended before 3:30 p.m. when police in armored SUVs cornered the taxi and LA resident Derrick Bogar. 36, finally surrendered. Police records show he has been booked for felony carjacking.

He was believed to have been armed with a handgun and was suspected of stealing a Bell taxi cab, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman. 

About an hour into the chase, groups of people stood on street corners when the taxi passed, appearing to cheer the driver on. The driver occasionally stopped in the street to speak with pedestrians and other drivers.

He appeared to throw money out of the car at 92nd Street and Compton Avenue, just after driving onto train tracks as a Metro train passed. The taxi avoided hitting the train, which stopped in front of the cab.

The gunman initially got into the cab as a client, said Bell Cab Co. spokesman Simon Momennasab.

He showed the driver the gun, then took the car after the driver got out.

The driver led police around Inglewood, Hyde Park and other areas in South LA. Police tweeted for motorists to avoid a stretch of road in Inglewood while the pursuit was in progress..

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