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Firefighters place AIR CUSHION under highway overpass at LAX as man collides with police and threatens to jump – before arresting him
- The Los Angeles Fire Department installed an air cushion under a highway near LAX on Thursday for a man who threatens to jump
- The unidentified man led police on a chase from San Diego to LA
- Upon arrival at LAX, the man jumped out of his car and went to the edge of the highway overpass
- The man reportedly reached speeds of over 90 miles per hour as he drove through San Diego and Orange counties
- After an hour-long stalemate, the man was arrested on the spot by officers
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The Los Angeles Fire Department on Thursday installed an air cushion under a freeway just outside LAX for a man who threatens to jump after a high-speed chase.
According to ABC 7The unknown driver led officers with the California Highway Patrol in a chase that began in San Diego County earlier in the day before eventually being taken into custody outside the Southern California airport.
After arriving at the airport, the man jumped from his vehicle, a dark-colored Nissan sedan, and shot to the edge of the bridge at LAX.
Los Angeles Police Department officers had a stalemate with the man on top of the bridge for over an hour before the air cushion was set up.
The guy looked like he was ready to jump with the LAX’s ‘L’ in the background
Officers originally stood behind their flagged vehicles when the man got close to the rim and threatened to jump in LA Thursday afternoon
The man appeared to be relaxing on the edge of the highway overpass at one point when officers and negotiators were called in to talk to him
Not only was traffic on the highway where the man was standing closed, but officials deployed an air cushion beneath it, causing both lanes of CA-1 to be closed.
Helicopter footage from ABC 7 showed heavy traffic outside the area where the highway was closed for the stalemate.
According to initial reports, the man may be armed with a weapon.
According to CHP officials, the chase started in San Diego when police tried to pull the man over for driving head-on into incoming traffic.
Instead of stopping, it took off and reached speeds of over 90 miles per hour.
Fortunately, the highways weren’t very busy, as the chase started around noon in Southern California Province.
The man took Interstate 5 north all the way up through San Diego County and Orange County before arriving in Los Angeles.
Another angle shows how close the man came to falling or jumping off the top of the bridge outside LAX
The man drove more than 90 miles per hour through at least three Southern California counties on Thursday before jumping out of his car on a bridge outside LAX
The northernmost point of San Diego County is just under 70 miles from the Los Angeles airport.
He eventually got out and switched to freeways and sped through Compton and Inglewood, both east of the airport.
The helicopter caught the man repeatedly poking his head out of the window of his Nissan to check for police and law enforcement officers behind him.
He arrived at the airport around 1:00 PM, reported ABC7, and ran to the edge of the bridge as officers stood behind the doors of their patrol car.
Traffic northbound between Century Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard was affected by the standoff, officials said.
As of 2:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, officers on the bridge were within the foot of the man, who was perched on the highway ledge barrier according to helicopter footage, and just before 3 p.m. the man was taken into custody.
LAX officials urged drivers to seek alternate routes while the issue was resolved.
“Police activities are underway at the entrance to LAX. Westbound Century Blvd. to the departures level is open, but Sepulveda southbound remains the best way to access the airport,” the airport’s account tweeted.
Flights will not be affected, but traffic will be heavy and delayed. Give extra time,” LAX continued.
A person responded, calling the backup of the incident “huge” and recommending an alternate route.