LOS ANGELES (KABC) — After a dangerous high-speed chase by authorities through downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, a suspected robber emerged from a car clutching his 2-month-old daughter.
The incident began with an armed robbery in Beverly Hills. Hawthorne police later spotted the vehicle and a pursuit began around 5:40 p.m.
Hawthorne police requested assistance from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, so they headed to the South Los Angeles area.
The driver pulled over shortly thereafter in South Los Angeles, where three men jumped out and fled. Police established a lockdown and arrested two of the suspects.
However, the third suspect got into another vehicle, a Kia sedan, and quickly fled, sparking a new pursuit.
After a dangerous high-speed chase by authorities through downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, a suspected robber emerged from a car clutching his 2-month-old daughter.
At the time, officers believed he had carjacked the vehicle and later discovered a woman and her young daughter, approximately 2 months old, were also in the car.
The driver of the Kia fled the scene recklessly along open roads in downtown Los Angeles, weaving through traffic, running red lights and at times driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic.
At one point, the Kia reached speeds of 60 to 70 mph on surface roads in the Culver City area.
The suspect ran into a dead-end road in the Blair Hills neighborhood and became trapped, after officers intercepted him from behind, leading to a tense standoff that lasted several minutes.
The suspect then appears to tell authorities there was a baby in the car, and AIR7 captured the suspect in the driver’s seat with the small child on his lap.
Seconds later, a woman emerged from the back seat holding a child.
The driver also got out of the vehicle and hugged the woman and child before walking toward the officers.
The suspect then complied with officers’ commands and was taken into custody without incident.
Police later suggested the suspect was the baby’s father.
The suspect appears to be live-streaming the pursuit, and the woman can be heard repeatedly yelling for him to stop the car and claiming that he is putting her baby at risk.
According to the sheriff’s office, despite the suspect and the woman having a relationship, the suspect is currently facing charges of armed robbery and felon in possession of a firearm, as well as carjacking and kidnapping.
The woman was not arrested. Officers fed the girl, gave her medical attention and changed her diaper. The girl initially cried but then fell asleep and was reportedly in good condition. She was released to her mother.
Deputy Adriana Martinez was one of the deputies who cared for the child.
“I was just happy to be there,” Martinez said at an evening news conference. “My concern was the baby. She was crying and I wanted to comfort her. My maternal instincts kicked in. I tried to comfort her and get her to stop crying. We ended up taking care of her. I was happy to be there. I felt like I was holding my daughter when she was little.”
Officers said they were shocked to discover the suspect had lured officers into a dangerous pursuit with his child in the car.
“It’s mind-blowing to think that not only was this guy driving like a madman, he had a 2-month-old daughter and her mother in the car, but he took the time to livestream the whole thing on his phone,” Deputy Sheriff Tony Lomedico said. “When you meet someone like this, it moves you in ways that words can’t describe.”
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