High-speed pursuit on 118 Freeway leads to driver’s arrest

A suspect in a stolen vehicle led police on a high-speed chase across parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday before authorities executed a pursuit-ending favorite: the “pit maneuver.”

The chase began at 11:36 a.m. when officers tried to stop the vehicle for speeding on the 14 Freeway in Santa Clarita, said California Highway Patrol Officer Ed Jacobs.

The vehicle took off, leading authorities onto the 5 and 405 freeways before heading west on the 118 Freeway.

The vehicle hit up to 115 mph as the driver sped down the 118, eventually exiting and turning around. It left the westbound 118 at Woodley Avenue in Granada Hills, where officers used the pit maneuver -- sometimes known as pursuit immobilization technique -- and rammed the car in order to spin it around and stop it.

Several officers surrounded the vehicle with their guns drawn. The driver -- a man wearing athletic shorts and no shirt -- opened the door, got on the ground, and was taken into custody without incident.

Jacobs said authorities were investigating whether the car was the same vehicle involved in a carjacking reported Wednesday morning. The owner of that vehicle called 911 and said a man claiming to have a handgun had stolen his vehicle, Jacobs said.

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