Successful SWAT maneuver brings 2-hour car chase to peaceful end
Two hours after a man stole a taxi and led police on a chase across Inglewood and South Los Angeles, a team of heavily armed LAPD SWAT officers brought the incident to an uneventful end.
During the chase, the armed man, driving a stolen Toyota Prius taxi, was seen on television pulling up to gathered bystanders, who seemed to be supporting the chase.
The Bell taxi was stolen at gunpoint about 1:25 p.m. in the 5000 block of Cimarron Street, LAPD Officer Jane Kim said. Police began their pursuit about 10 minutes later.
The man led police cruisers around residential streets in South L.A. for about two hours at relatively slow speeds, according to live TV news coverage.
The vehicle ran red lights and, on several occasions, police quickly entered intersections to prevent any collisions.
The chase ended about 3:30 p.m. with the unidentified man surrendering to police near 103rd and Alameda streets in Watts after a successful maneuver by SWAT officers trapped the Prius. Using a precision immobilization technique, one SWAT vehicle hit the Prius and two other SWAT armored vehicles pinned the Prius, essentially forming a three-point trap.
SWAT officers could be seen with automatic rifles and police dogs surrounding the Prius, at which point the driver got out with arms raised and quickly fell to the ground.
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