A Saturday morning drive through North Hollywood turned into a high-speed headache for LAPD officers after a sedan bolted through neighborhood streets, reportedly hitting close to 70 mph. The driver wove through traffic, slipped into center medians to get around other cars, and at times veered onto the wrong side of the road on surface streets. The pursuit finally wound down when the car slowed near what appeared to be a homeless encampment at Bellingham Avenue, Vantage Avenue and Sylvan Street, where the driver surrendered without incident.
According to CBS Los Angeles, officers tailed the sedan through North Hollywood but did not specify where the chase first began. At one point, a woman walked up to the passenger side of the stopped car before officers ordered her to back away. Police were seen with firearms drawn as they spoke with the people inside. CBS Los Angeles also reported that the driver was seen drinking from a glass bottle shortly before giving up and being taken into custody.
How the pursuit unfolded
Ground units followed the sedan along neighborhood surface streets as it cut through traffic, using center medians to pass slower vehicles. Drivers and residents in the NoHo area watched the car swerve around other vehicles and make a series of risky moves. Video from the scene shows officers quickly repositioning their patrol cars to contain the area once the sedan finally rolled to a stop near the encampment.
Where it ended
Per CBS Los Angeles, the pursuit came to a close beside a cluster of tents and scattered belongings near Bellingham and Vantage, close to Sylvan Street, where officers took the driver into custody without further incident. Police have not released the suspect’s name or listed any charges, and they have not yet explained what triggered the chase in the first place.
A pattern in NoHo
North Hollywood has seen more than its share of hair-raising pursuits in recent weeks. An earlier high-speed wrong-way chase that tore through the area in February was detailed in Hoodline’s report on an earlier wrong-way Tesla chase. That episode, like this latest one, highlighted the ongoing challenge for officers trying to protect the public while dealing with the very real dangers that come with pursuing fleeing drivers.
What police haven't said
The LAPD has not identified the driver, has not confirmed any specific charges, and has not clarified where the pursuit started. Officials had not issued additional public statements by the time of publication. The case remains under investigation as detectives review the circumstances surrounding the chase.
