LA police engage suspect in car chase, shootout
(NewsNation) — Police in Los Angeles were led on a dangerous high-speed chase through busy intersections by a gun-wielding suspect who ended up exchanging shots with officers after crashing a stolen vehicle.
The suspect, 43-year-old Jamie Vendivel, who was also wanted by U.S. marshals on a fugitive warrant, allegedly stole a vehicle before leading police on a chase through the busy streets of Los Angeles. While pursuing Vendivel, police saw him reach down and pick up a gun off the floor board of the vehicle.
Vendivel can be seen on police dash camera footage running a red light at an intersection, leading to the vehicle he was driving being t-boned by an oncoming car. He then appears to lose control of the vehicle before striking a parked car.
This is when the suspect can then be seen exiting the video with a gun in hand. He then allegedly fired a shot at police, who returned fire without striking the man. Vendivel then ran off.
Rick Wall, a retired police chief for UCLA, said it was “absolutely” appropriate for police to shoot at Vendivel as he ran because he “clearly poses a danger to the public.”
“He’s already robbed three people, including the person he just carjacked to take that car. He poses an immediate threat to the public,” Wall said Thursday on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live.”
The suspect led police on a foot pursuit into an alleyway near a housing unit. He then appeared to try and throw his weapon onto the roof of a nearby building, but the gun hit the edge and clattered back to the ground. The suspect then picked the gun back up and was shot at by police, but not struck. Still, the missed shot was enough to stun the suspect into falling down and dropping the gun.
Vendivel was charged with three counts of carjacking, evading police and hit-and-run; he was also held on the fugitive warrant.
The full police video and expert analysis of the chase can be viewed in the video above.