A wild hour-long police chase that began on one Southern California freeway before moving to another ended in deputies tackling and arresting the suspect in the middle of a busy highway.
The pursuit began around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night just south of the Palmdale Regional Airport in Los Angeles County, according to NBC Los Angeles. Authorities were attempting to stop the vehicle after suspecting the driver was under the influence.
Video of the chase shows the suspect’s black car traveling down Interstate 210 with the hood of the car pressed up against the windshield, apparently blocking the driver’s view of the road.
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At one point, the driver and a passenger allegedly pulled out guns and began firing at a sheriff’s helicopter and deputies pursuing them, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Authorities eventually deployed spike strips and the driver hit two sets, losing two tires. The suspect continued to drive down the freeway, dangerously switching lanes as sparks flew from the damaged car.
Video shows the driver coming to a stop in the middle of the highway, getting out of the car and running down a steep hill to the busy Interstate 5 below.
The man darted across four lanes, hopped over a divider and attempted to run across lanes on the other side but hesitated because of the heavy traffic.
Several cars had to swerve to avoid hitting the suspect. NBC Los Angeles reported that one car clipped the suspect and the person fell but was able to get back up.
Deputies quickly arrived and tackled the man to the ground as other deputies stopped traffic. According to NBC Los Angeles, the suspect was taken to the hospital for injuries he suffered.
Both the driver and his passenger were taken into custody.
