Murder Suspect Captured After 100-Mile Chase Over 4 Freeways

A murder suspect and two others were arrested after a dramatic, 100-mile car chase that began in Burbank and ended near the Santa Barbara County line and involved seven police agencies, two helicopters and about 30 patrol cars, police said.

The chase started in a Burbank motel parking lot after police watched a man standing next to a car pull a pistol and point it at a woman inside the car with whom he was arguing, Burbank Police Sgt. Frank Reilman said. The man saw the nearby police cruiser and jumped into the car, a white Cadillac that had been reported stolen, and drove off, police said.

The driver, a suspect in the Jan. 21 drive-by shooting of 17-year-old Carmen de la Rosa of Sepulveda near Hansen Dam Park in Pacoima, led police from the Ventura Freeway to the southbound Golden State Freeway to the Santa Monica Freeway and west to the Pacific Coast Highway and Ventura Freeway, Reilman said. The 110-m.p.h. odyssey ended at 10:35 p.m. Friday when a Ventura County sheriff’s car blocked the Cadillac’s escape on a two-lane road in the La Conchita area of Ventura County.

Police arrested Nicolas Avila, 24, of Pacoima on suspicion of murder, auto theft and possession of stolen property. He was being held Saturday in the Ventura County Jail with bail set at $1 million, said Sherie Latimer, Ventura County sheriff’s spokeswoman.

Also arrested were Susanna Hernandez, 24, who was being held on suspicion of auto theft, possession of stolen property and other unspecified charges, and a 15-year-old boy, Latimer said. The minor, whose name was not released, was in custody at the Ventura County Juvenile Hall, and the woman was being held at the Ventura County Jail. Latimer said neither one is a suspect in the slaying.

Latimer said the suspects did not resist arrest.

Los Angeles Police Lt. Jim Watters said the slaying in which Avila is a suspect appeared to be gang-related, although the victim was not a gang member.

Burbank police became suspicious when they observed Avila and Hernandez arguing heatedly in the parking lot of the Buena Vista Hotel on Buena Vista Street near San Fernando Road, Reilman said.

When police officers saw Avila brandish a pistol, and he noticed them watching, he jumped into the car and headed north on Buena Vista, Reilman said. While in pursuit, the officers were notified by radio that the driver was a murder suspect, he said.

The car entered the eastbound Ventura Freeway, where California Highway Patrol units joined the chase, Latimer said. The pursuit continued south on Golden State Freeway and then turned west onto the Santa Monica Freeway. A Burbank police helicopter tracked the Cadillac, and Los Angeles police joined in.

Santa Monica police officers joined the chase near the coast, Latimer said. The suspects proceeded north on the Pacific Coast Highway, where they attracted Los Angeles County sheriff’s units based in Malibu. Ventura County sheriff’s deputies, including a Sheriff’s Department helicopter, and Oxnard police officers also eventually joined the chase.

The suspects re-entered the Ventura Freeway, then exited at Seaward Avenue in the La Conchita area. The car headed north on Vista del Mar Drive, which gives way to a dirt road. The suspects continued northbound, apparently attempting to re-enter the Ventura Freeway, Latimer said.

They reached a two-lane road that would have led them back to the freeway but were cut off by a Ventura County sheriff’s car, Latimer said.

Latimer said the Cadillac was reported stolen last week along with a wallet, identification papers and personal belongings. The suspects will be turned over to Los Angeles police on Monday, Watters said.