Hillel AronWatching live televised car chases is a favorite activity of any right-thinking Angeleno, but what happens when one happens right in front of you?
This reporter was walking back to the world headquarters of L.A. Weekly in beautiful Culver City, after picking up a delicious Chipotle burrito for lunch, when all of a sudden a black Toyota Tundra began tearing up Sepulveda Boulevard. When the driver got to Sepulveda and Washington Place, he did doughnuts in the intersection — after doing doughnuts around terrified and frozen drivers up and down the stretch between Washington and Venice. This intrepid reporter manage to record a small part of the bizarre chase on his trusty iPhone:
Nearby drivers were so scared some of them fled their vehicles. The first responding officer was so startled he tipped over his motorcycle.
The driver continued to burn rubber up and down Sepulveda several times, stopping traffic in both directions and periodically spinning around like a whirling dervish. A fleet of cops and a helicopter pursued him for a solid 10 minutes. The driver appeared to have a deranged, almost bemused look on his face. A few gawking passersby cheered the old fellow on.
Update, 5:45 p.m.: After a short car chase, the driver of the vehicle was taken into custody, according to LAPD Sgt. James Tomeo.
It all started, according to Tomeo, with the driver having a bad day.
“He was upset at his boss,” Tomeo says. “He decides he’s going to let out some frustration. … He just went from intersection to intersection doing doughnuts.”
A passing officer saw the crazed driver, called for back-up and a short police pursuit ensued. It ended on a side street, near where Palms turns into National.
“He put a lot of people in danger, clipped one of our motor officers,” Tomeo says. “He wasn't intoxicated. He was just mad. Literally.”
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