COUNTYWIDE : Driver Vanishes After High-Speed Chase
A driver who led police on a 45-minute high-speed chase from San Clemente to Inglewood remains at large after he abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot.
A California Highway Patrol officer had stopped the driver for speeding around noon on northbound Interstate 5 near the Avenida Presidio exit. As the officer was attempting to cite the driver, the man drove away, officials said.
The driver raced north across the county, zigzagging at speeds reaching 120 m.p.h. through car-pool and regular lanes and ending up on the San Diego Freeway, CHP officials said. No one was injured during the pursuit.
He then exited at La Cienega Boulevard near Los Angeles International Airport, abandoning the Ford Explorer near Kew Street and running toward an apartment complex.
Inglewood police and CHP officers searched for the man around Centinela Avenue and La Cienega Boulevard for about an hour but could not find him.
The vehicle apparently was missing its license plates and had been reported stolen from the Sunbelt Rent-A-Car agency in July, officials said.
“It looks like . . . he didn’t return the vehicle after the rental contract had expired,†CHP Officer Rob Lund said.
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