All lanes of 5 Freeway in Burbank reopen almost 15 hours after intense pursuit, standoff

All lanes of the 5 Freeway in Burbank reopened Saturday morning after a wild chase overnight ended in a standoff and prompted authorities to close a stretch of the northbound lanes for hours.

Police responded to reports of a man armed with a knife at around 7:25 p.m. Friday at Big Tujunga Canyon Road and Oro Vista Avenue. The driver refused to pull over, initiating a pursuit in which the suspect rammed pursuing officers and civilian cars before leading officers the wrong way on the 5 Freeway, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

The pursuit turned into a standoff after the fleeing car crashed into two civilian vehicles and came to a stop near Buena Vista Avenue.

California Highway Patrol officers were seen firing weapons at the driver who exited the car after crashing, and then got back in.

The suspect surrendered about an hour later and was taken into custody.

It is unclear if the driver was shot by officers.

Authorities did not identify the suspect.

“This was one that I haven’t seen in quite a while,” LAPD Officer Josh Rubenstein said. “The amount of danger that everybody was in ... because the suspect was ramming innocent bystander vehicles as well.”

Almost 15 hours after the pursuit started Friday night, all northbound lanes reopened at around 10 a.m. Saturday after authorities towed away the suspect’s vehicle. Southbound lanes reopened at around midnight, but a stretch of the highway’s northbound lanes had been closed Saturday morning between Alameda Avenue and Buena Vista Street, according to California Highway Patrol.

No further details were immediately available.

Salahieh and Telles work for KTLA.