Drunk Driver Takes Honda Civic on High-Speed Pursuit That Ends With Police Letting Suspect Walk

According to NBC Los Angeles, the chase actually started around 5:11 p.m. in Whittier, but the California Highway Patrol quickly got involved once the Honda was seen "traveling at high speeds and on the opposite side of streets and highways." NBC describes the vehicle as a "silver sedan" despite helicopter footage pretty clearly revealing the car as an eight-gen Civic Coupe, possibly of the Si variety. 

The Drive's own Jonathon Klein lives near the area where the pursuit was occurring and witnessed the banged-up Civic blow past him during a late-afternoon stroll first-hand. "We had just walked outside of our apartment to take our dogs for a walk and remarked on how quiet the normally chaotic street was. They had been filming a new movie a block away and most of the street had been closed to normal traffic. Right as we were about to cross the street, the broken Honda Civic came tearing through at what looked like 90 miles per hour with a cop and helicopter hot on its tail," he recalled. He added, "The Honda Civic driver nearly clipped two LAPD officers who had been assisting the film crew direct traffic and a pedestrian walking through the intersection."

Shortly thereafter, the Civic stopped on a Montebello driveway on 5th Street before its fleeing driver entered a home, initiating a standoff with police as they promptly set up a perimeter. 

From ABC7, the home is believed to be familiar to the suspect as the Honda's missing bumper can be seen on the ground in the backyard. Funnily enough, the bumper seemingly wasn't ripped off in the heat of the chase but perhaps taken off prior so its owner could install a sick front lip or something.

After an hour-long impasse, police reportedly decided to release the perimeter and leave the scene. The suspect's identity and address are apparently known and cops say they will pay him a visit at a later time.