Suspects involved in a high-speed law enforcement pursuit set off a panicked scene in Little Tokyo on Saturday evening after they jumped from their vehicle and sprinted though a popular shopping plaza, triggering a stampede of customers running for cover.
The pursuit began about 5:30 p.m. PT after Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies attempted to pull over a vehicle that had been reported as being involved in a felony in Gardena, said Deputy Michael Chen. The driver rammed a patrol car and took off, Chen said. He could not confirm where the chase began, but it ended in Little Tokyo, where at least two suspects abandoned the vehicle and ran into Japanese Village Plaza.
Video from Fox 11 Los Angeles showed a car hurtling at high speed northbound on the 110 Freeway from South Los Angeles, then after reaching Little Tokyo colliding with another car heading east on 1st Street. At least two people could be seen exiting the car and escaping into the plaza, a Japanese cultural showcase of restaurants, shops and markets festooned with bright paper lanterns. The video showed scores of people running from the plaza in a chaotic dash for cover.
