WOODLAND HILLS : Motorcyclist Crashes Into Car as Police Pursue Him

A drunk motorcyclist led police on a half-hour chase across the west San Fernando Valley on Tuesday until he crashed into a car and was tackled by two comedy show promoters and two other bystanders, authorities said.

TV helicopters followed the chase, which was broadcast on several stations from beginning to end.

The pursuit began as police attempted to stop Richard Patrick Lattanzio, 39, of Canoga Park on his motorcycle for driving 65 m.p.h. on Platt Street near Sherman Way, said Sgt. Dan Mastro of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Lattanzio fled “and reached speeds of up to 70 m.p.h. at times, driving on sidewalks, running red lights and rolling over a couple of medians,” Mastro said.

Lattanzio made his way from Woodland Hills to Chatsworth and back. When he headed east on Ventura Boulevard, a group of three men dashed into the street and tried to halt him. Lattanzio was turning his motorcycle around and trying to flee when he hit a passing car. He was soon surrounded by the bystanders and held until police came minutes later.