LA police car chase ends with bloodied and screaming suspect in handcuffs

Female driver entered 405 freeway in wrong direction

A high-speed police chase ended with a suspect smashing a van into oncoming traffic before emerging with a bloody face and screaming at officers on Friday.

Los Angeles Police Department said the chase began after they received a call about a disturbance on 4th St and Rose around 4.22am, with the suspect backing her car into officers.

She then drove off with the LAPD in pursuit and making multiple attempts to stop her. The driver then made a U-turn and drove the wrong way along the 405 freeway, a major highway in the city.

News helicopter cameras captured the moment the driver smashed the van into oncoming traffic, with multiple vehicles damaged.

The suspect was taken into custody after ploughing a van into oncoming traffic in Los Angeles, 17 May 2024 (Fox 11)

The suspect, who has not been named, then climbed out of the driver’s side window and climbed onto the van’s roof as other drivers got out of their cars and fled to safety.

Officers surrounded the woman as she climbed onto the hood of a truck and sat back with her hands behind her head.

The carnage seen after the police chase ended on Freeway 405 (Fox 11)

Police officers pulled her from the truck and arrested her. She was seen with blood covering one side of her face, eyes wide and screaming at officers.

Meanwhile, the driver of the car she hit head-on, identified as Rudolph, miraculously survived being trapped inside his vehicle.

“It could always be worse, so I look on the bright side,” he told Fox 11. “I’m blessed.”

The suspect was arrested shortly after the multi-vehicle collision on Freeway 405, Los Angeles (Fox 11)

Other vehicles were badly damaged in the collision.

The Independent has contacted the LAPD for further comment but the department said it had nothing to add at this time.

The officers injured in the initial callout were transported “in a stable condition”.