Police were on the hunt for a bus that was stolen from Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.
Los Angeles police, the agency that began the chase, said the suspect hijacked the bus from the Hollywood area. Children’s Hospital said two employees were on the bus when it was stolen around 7:10 p.m.
However, they got out before the chase began. The hospital said it uses the bus to transport staff to parking lots outside the hospital.
The suspect led officers onto the CA-170 Freeway, went off-road and barreled through oncoming traffic on the Victory Boulevard ramp in Valley Glen. The stolen van narrowly missed several cars and briefly lost ground troops during the brazen maneuver.
Officers with the LAPD’s North Hollywood Division caught up with the suspect shortly afterward. The driver continued to lead police through the southern San Fernando Valley area, recklessly running red lights and narrowly missing other cars. Police ended the chase on the ground after the reckless driving.
LAPD briefly resumed the pursuit after it entered the Van Nuys area, but officers called off the chase a few minutes later and only monitored it from the air.
The suspect drove aimlessly around the San Fernando Valley before ditching the van next to a Home Depot at the intersection of Arminta Street and Nollan Place in Panorama City. The driver fled after running into the hardware store.
Police left the Home Depot with one person in handcuffs after a brief frisk.
