LAPD Skateboard Chase: Suspect steals truck then tries to get away on smaller wheels – World Time Todays

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Southern California has its share of wild police chases—but rarely do they end up on a skateboard.

Los Angeles Police Department bodycam video shows a chase involving a stolen truck, in which the suspect jumped out of the vehicle after turning around and hopped onto a skateboard in front of officers standing yards away, guns drawn .

The incident happened around 6 a.m. on February 13 in downtown Los Angeles.

A Chevy Silverado with a trailer attached was reported stolen near Flower Street and Jefferson Avenue. Officers soon spotted the truck on Exposition Boulevard and Western Avenue and attempted to stop the driver, but he fled, hitting a parked vehicle once but continuing.

Officers briefly chased the truck with the trailer still attached, but it soon lost control and spun.

The LAPD officers drew their guns, approached the truck, and repeatedly shouted at the driver, “Stop, stop! … let me see your hands.”

Instead, he hopped out of the truck and onto a skateboard. He wore a reflective vest that made him easy to spot in the early morning darkness. Six officers followed him on foot.

Other officers were already posted down the street. As the skateboarder passed, an officer stretched out his arms and pushed him off the board, then four of them jumped in and overpowered him.

The suspect was later identified as Pedro Villalobos, 30, of Los Angeles. He faces two counts of vehicle theft and one count of reckless evasion.

The stolen Chevy pickup and trailer have been returned to their owner.

Villalobos was hospitalized with a leg injury. A full department review of the incident is underway.