Pickup driver leads police on wild pursuit, disappearing in tunnel before train goes in

A pickup driver led police on a wild pursuit in East Los Angeles late Tuesday, driving onto train tracks and disappearing into a light rail tunnel.

Live TV images showed a Metro train going into the tunnel after the truck went in. Moments later, the same train came out after reversing inside, Metro officials said Wednesday morning.

The truck got stuck on the westbound tracks in the roughly two-mile tunnel. The train was traveling on the eastbound tracks and did not hit the truck, said Metro spokesman José Ubaldo.

Shortly after 11 p.m., the male driver was taken into custody, but a female suspect was still outstanding, according to TV reports.

Earlier, the driver sped through an intersection, slammed into a yellow taxi and kept going. At one point, the truck drove onto a sidewalk.

KTLA reported Huntington Park police initiated the pursuit because the truck was stolen. Police have set up a perimeter to search for the missing suspect.

Metro halted the Gold Line during the investigation, offering a shuttle service to passengers in the area, a spokesman said.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

UPDATES:

10:25 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from Metro.

12:30 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from a Metro spokesman.

This article was originally published at 11:10 p.m.