Man holding dog in golf cart leads police in slow-moving pursuit

High-speed police pursuits are common in Los Angeles but the police chase in the San Fernando Valley on Sunday night was extraordinary: The suspect was fleeing police in a slow-moving golf cart while holding a dog on his lap.

The man was wanted in connection with an assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The unidentified man was possibly armed with a knife and threatened to harm the dog, said LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman. Police responded just after 9 p.m. to the 18700 block of Ventura Boulevard, where an unattended security golf cart had been stolen. The man led police on a slow-moving pursuit around Tarzana with the dog on his lap.

Videos shared on social media showed the shirtless man driving with one hand on the steering wheel, while his other hand held the dog against his body.

The man stopped the golf cart near Oxnard Street and Laurel Canyon Boulevard in the Valley Glen neighborhood at 9:44 p.m., Eisenman said. Officers tackled the man in a parking lot and he was taken into custody, according to video from KTLA-TV Channel 5. After the pursuit, the dog nervously scampered around police officers as sirens blared and helicopters circled overhead.

The dog was returned to the man’s family members, according to police. The suspect was hospitalized afterward but police did not say if the health issues were related to his arrest. After he is cleared medically, the suspect will be booked, police said.