(Oct. 7, 2015, 5:55 a.m.) -- While most of Long Beach slept, an LBPD North Division officer -- specially assigned on the graveyard shift to deal with violent crime and stolen vehicles -- spotted a stolen vehicle on the 91 freeway, which led to a pursuit on area freeways, followed by a foot pursuit in Compton Creek and ended with the suspect successfully taken into custody with no one injured.
LBPD overnight Watch Commander Lt. Mark Coble says a North Division officer picked up the stolen vehicle on the 91 freeway (a Honda, the type of vehicle most commonly stolen in Long Beach; ran its plate; determined it was stolen), followed it until sufficient backup was in place and initiated a trafic stop in which the driver allegedly failed to yield.
The pursuit ultimately traveled onto the 405 freeway to the 110 and back east on the 105, pulling off to the side of the 105 freeway at Central Ave. where a foot chase began.
The suspect headed for Compton Creek (small flood control channel feeding into the LA River) where officers apprehended him with the assistance of LASD's helicopter...and the suspect (a male adult) is now in custody.
Lt Coble said the officer who spotted the stolen vehicle is part of a unit assigned to handle crime trends that are especially hot at the moment. LBREPORT.com independently notes that this appears to be an example of the strategy described in a recent public meeting by Police Chief Robert Luna to deploy officers to address crime trends as they emerge. Cheif Luna has said that this flexible strategy has been successful on multiple occasions...and it apparently was in the predawn hours today.
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