High-Speed Chase Ends on Long Beach Pier

A high-speed chase through two cities ended with a driver crashing his pickup through a locked gate onto the Belmont Pier in Long Beach then jumping in the water to evade arrest, authorities said.

Jack Audiss, 33, of Long Beach took off in his white 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck during a traffic stop in Seal Beach near 1st Street and Pacific Coast Highway shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday, said Seal Beach Sgt. Jim Johnson.

Leading police on a 15-mile pursuit in and around Seal Beach for 40 minutes, Audiss finally drove out onto the Belmont Pier in Long Beach, crashing through a locked gate. As he reached the end of the pier, Audiss got out of his car and jumped in the water, Johnson said.

Audiss gave up and swam to the shore after the Long Beach Harbor Patrol and Long Beach Police Department helicopter joined the pursuit, authorities said.

No one was injured in the incident. Audiss was arrested as he emerged from the water. He was taken to the Seal Beach Police Department on suspicion of felony evading.