Man who ended police pursuit in front of tourists at Hollywood Walk of Fame sentenced to prison
A Rancho Cucamonga man whom police chased into the heart of the tourist district on Hollywood Boulevard as bystanders looked on has been sentenced to three years in prison, Los Angeles County prosecutors said.
Tony Calloway Jr., 24, pleaded no contest to fleeing police while driving recklessly in connection with the slow-speed chase on March 9. Calloway had stolen a car in Colton and was spotted by police on the 101 Freeway. Police then chased him to Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue.
With the stolen car surrounded by police, Calloway remained in the car briefly and smoked a cigarette as officers ordered him to surrender and bystanders snapped photos and recorded the standoff on their phones.
“They had all their guns out and so we were like, ‘OK, maybe this is serious, maybe he has a gun,’ so finally we all kind of stepped back,” witness Anette Chavez told KCBS. “But at first I was like, ‘This is exciting,’ but it does get a little dangerous.”
Calloway was eventually taken into custody and dozens of tourists had a bona fide L.A. police chase story to take back home. The entire pursuit can be viewed here.
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