Huntington Beach police pursuit ends with wrong-way crash, brief standoff on PCH

Huntington Beach Police have arrested a driver who led officers on a vehicle pursuit that ended in a wrong-way crash and brief standoff on Pacific Coast Highway Thursday morning, police reported.

Jennifer Carey, the city’s public affairs manager, said officers initially observed a dark-colored sedan being driven southbound on Beach Boulevard, near Indianapolis Avenue, at around 10 a.m. and attempted to initiate a traffic stop. When the driver of the vehicle failed to yield, a police pursuit ensued.

“He turned right onto PCH … and as he was heading westbound, he went over a median and continued to drive westbound in the eastbound lanes,” Carey said of the driver. “He ultimately collided with a vehicle parked on the side of the street.”

The driver attempted to flee a second time, but officers were able to form a blockade in front of his vehicle, preventing him from driving away, Carey said.

Officers ordered the man to exit the vehicle several times, but the driver initially failed to cooperate and remained inside his vehicle for the next 10 to 15 minutes before exiting safely, according to Carey.

The male suspect was arrested on scene. He was transported to a nearby hospital as a precaution, though it was not apparent whether he had sustained any injuries from the collision, and transferred into the custody of the Long Beach Police Department, as he was known to have prior offenses in that city, HBPD reported.

Long Beach Police spokesman Brandon Fahey confirmed Thursday evening the suspect was still in the hospital recovering and had not yet been booked into the city’s jail system. His name was not being released to the public as of press time.

Following the collision, Huntington Beach Police Department ordered the closure of a portion of PCH, between Huntington Street and Beach Boulevard, for several hours to allow officers to investigate the scene of the crash, Carey said.

This is a developing news story. The Daily Pilot will provide updates as more information becomes available.

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