Police Chase Goes Outside the Book

Los Angeles police said Friday that they were trying to identify a “mystery motorcycle officer” who took it upon himself to chase a motorcycle-riding suspect Thursday night, speeding through red lights and up onto sidewalks in Beverly Hills and the Westside before peeling off and disappearing.

As of Friday night, both the officer and the suspect were still at large.

The wild ride, broadcast live on several television stations, at times appeared more like a high-speed duel as the officer tried to cut off the suspect, who swerved to avoid crashing.

Asst. Police Chief George Gascon was at home brushing his teeth when he looked up to see the chase live on television.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said. “The bikes were on the sidewalk, they were nearly colliding with each other, it was terrible. It was so far out of policy. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Gascon said the department was trying to identify the mystery officer by scrutinizing the TV videotapes and going through department roll call records.

The chase began about 10:30 p.m. near Sunset Boulevard and Hudson Avenue when officers from the Hollywood Division began pursuing a man they wanted to question in a forgery case.

The suspect, driving what appeared to be a large street bike, was going so fast that the patrol cars had trouble keeping up as he crisscrossed through Hollywood, the Fairfax district and the Miracle Mile area.

Concerned about the safety of passing motorists, LAPD commanders decided to end the ground pursuit and have a police helicopter pick up the chase, said Hollywood Division Capt. Michael Downing.

The suspect had made it to Olympic Boulevard near the border of Beverly Hills when the unknown officer began tailing him. Downing said the motorcycle officer’s behavior became increasingly aggressive over the next few minutes. Both the suspect and the officer ran numerous red lights and darted through traffic.

His actions shocked LAPD personnel following the chase in a helicopter, who radioed dispatchers to try to figure out what the officer was doing.

The officer repeatedly tried to pull ahead of the suspect, then cut in front of him. Those moves forced the suspect to swerve in other directions. Twice the chase left the street and went onto sidewalks, which at that hour were largely deserted.

Walter Gudiel, a 22-year-old valet at Junior’s Deli on Westwood Boulevard, was outside at his post when police and TV helicopters roared overhead. He ran inside and saw the chase on TV.

“That was dangerous,” he said of the officer’s actions. “He could [have] killed himself.”

By about 10:45 p.m., the chase had entered West Los Angeles. Then, as suddenly as he had joined the chase, the mystery officer peeled away and rode off into the night.

The suspect continued to flee, speeding through Santa Monica, then cutting back into Palms, Century City and West Los Angeles. About 11 p.m., he returned to Palms, where he jumped off the motorcycle and ran into an apartment complex near Sawtelle and Palms boulevards.

If caught, the suspect could face charges of evading arrest and reckless driving. The officer could face internal discipline.

“This motorcycle officer unnecessarily injected himself into this pursuit,” said LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore. “Clearly those actions could have endangered himself and others and do not fall within the pursuit policy of this department.”

The chase infuriated LAPD commanders because it comes at time when the department has been criticized for engaging in too many high-speed pursuits that can put pedestrians and drivers at risk.

Two years ago, the LAPD revamped its policy to encourage pursuit of suspects using helicopters instead of police cars. The policy also gave supervisors in the field, rather than officers, control of how pursuits unfold.

By Friday afternoon, as the LAPD was still trying to identify the officer, one top police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, suggested that the design of the motorcycle’s emergency lights indicated the officer was from a different department.

But nearby police agencies said that none of their officers was involved.

Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which patrols West Hollywood, said it was not aware of any officers who would have been involved in the chase.

“To the best of our knowledge, none of our motor officers were involved in the pursuit,” said Beverly Hills Police Chief David Snowden.

UCLA police don’t use motorcycles at night, and Culver City police officials said their lone motor unit that night was at the station when the chase occurred.

Santa Monica police also denied any involvement.

“You’re the second person to ask me that,” said a watch commander. “What is going on?”

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Times staff writer Andrew Wang contributed to this report.