Wild police chase in South L.A. ends with two in custody

A man and a woman inside a stolen van were taken into custody Wednesday night after a wild police chase in South L.A.

The pursuit ended about 9:10 p.m. after a police cruiser struck the vehicle, forcing it to lose control and stop. Officers attempted to use the PIT maneuver at least two times before bringing the chase to a halt.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies in Florence ran a license plate check on the Chevrolet Astrovan about 7:45 p.m. and discovered it was stolen, said Sgt. Jason Bowley.

When they tried to pull the van over at South Central Avenue and East 77th Street, the vehicle sped off and initiated the chase.

At one point, the van made a circle at a busy intersection and later hit a dog as it sped away from police. Despite having three blown tires, the van continued to evade police, at times sending sparks into the air.

The Sheriff’s Department handed control of the chase to LAPD before the California Highway Patrol took over.

The unidentified man and women were taken into custody at gunpoint and without incident after the van was boxed in.

The dog struck by the fleeing van was found and was being taken to a 24-hour animal care center, KCAL9 reported.

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