Police Chase That Began in Tustin Ends at LAX

The chase ended just up ahead.

​A police chase that began with a residential burglary report out of the Peppertree Homes subdivision in Tustin seems to have just ended in the Sepulveda Avenue tunnel under the overpass that jetliners cross at the LAX south runway complex.

Tustin Police Sgt. Jeff Blair, who was on the air with KTLA/Channel 5's Morning News team as events were unfolding, confirmed a "pit maneuver" crash stopped the white sedan with a dented back end around 9:06 a.m.

The car had been chased at high speeds on the 105 freeway past the 405 interchange and into the tunnel.

A suspect was in custody and en route to Tustin for booking on burglary, fleeing, evading arrest and possibly other charges, according to Blair.

His account of what led to the chase:

Tustin Police received a call about a residential burglary in progress in the Peppertree subdivision, which is in the southeast part of the city.

An officer who responded in a marked police car arrived just as the white sedan was fleeing. He lost sight of the car on the northbound 5 freeway, but a detective in an unmarked police vehicle managed to spot it on the 5 in the Anaheim area. Anaheim Police were enlisted to help pick up the pursuit at that time.

The chase eventually ended in the tunnel. Blair was unsure if the suspect was armed. He believed the back-end damage was the result of an earlier pit maneuver that failed to stop the driver.