Bystanders Nab Alleged Carjacker
Los Angeles police credited two bystanders with nabbing a carjacker who led officers on a brief chase through downtown Tuesday night before smashing the stolen minivan into another vehicle near City Hall.
The suspect fled on foot but was wrestled to the ground by two witnesses before police arrived.
“We were nowhere in sight,” said Sgt. Andy Mathes of the Los Angeles Police Department. “Had they not been here, we would have come upon an empty car.”
The suspect, whose identity was not available, commandeered the vehicle at gunpoint about 4 a.m. at 8th Street and Grande Vista Avenue and forced the driver into the passenger seat before robbing him of $300, Mathes said. The victim escaped and reported the crime.
About 9:15 p.m., officers spotted the stolen minivan near Alameda Street and Olympic Boulevard and attempted to pull it over but it sped away. “We followed the new policy of dropping back and letting air support track him,” Mathes said.
The minivan turned against traffic on one-way Spring Street and ran a red light at Temple Street, colliding with a late-model Mercedes. The female driver suffered minor injuries, police said, but was transported to a hospital for observation.
Police recovered a fake gun in the minivan.
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