Crime & Safety
Police Chase Erratic Driver to Long Beach Airport
Long Beach police officers tried to stop the driver downtown but he drove off, and TV news cameras captured his "bizarre" behavior at the airport as he peels off his shirt.
A suspected impaired driver who may have mental health issues was shot with a stun gun and arrested Wednsday night after leading officers on a chase through Long Beach, police said.
The chase started shortly after 9 p.m. in the 700 block of East Shoreline Drive when an officer who suspected the man was driving while impaired attempted to pull him over, said Long Beach police Sgt. David Marander.
The 44-year-old Long Beach resident, whose name was not released, refused to stop the black 2006 Mitsubishi sedan he was driving and led police on a chase over city streets at speeds ranging from 20 mph to 70 mph, Marander said.
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The chase ended around 10:15 p.m. in front of the passenger terminal at Long Beach Airport, where the man got out of the car, was zapped with a stun gun and taken into custody, Marander said. ``
There might be some mental concerns,'' Marander said of the suspect. The man was arrested on suspicion of failure to yield, driving while impaired and ``numerous vehicle code violations,'' he said. It was unclear if the suspect would be taken to jail or to a hospital psychiatric ward, Marander said. Most of the airport's operations were completed for the day when the chase ended, Marander said.