Driver of Stolen Car in Stable Condition After Being Shot by Police During Wild Pursuit

The driver of a stolen vehicle who led a dangerous pursuit from East L.A. to Montebello, during which he carjacked one vehicle and attempted to steal two others before being shot by police, was in stable condition Tuesday, according to LAPD officials. Police did not identify the man, only describing him as a Hispanic man in his early 30s, but said he was recovering at a hospital. The pursuit began around 5:15 p.m. on First Street in Boyle Heights when officers attempted to stop a stolen vehicle, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Rosario Herrera said. Sky5 aerial footage showed the man driving erratically, weaving in and out of traffic, and colliding with multiple vehicles before his silver car became disabled in South Gate. The driver then abandoned the stolen car, ran up to a second vehicle with a gun and carjacked it from a 22-year-old mother of two. Later, the mother tearfully told reporters she was alone but typically had her two little girls with her. “He was pointing the gun at me, I just got out of the car and ran,” Elizabeth Yarahuan said. “I was just scared he was going to hurt me.” The man continued to drive dangerously, before becoming stuck between two vehicles while attempting to exit the 60 Freeway in Montebello, aerial footage showed. He then attempted to carjack two more vehicles before apparently tripping and falling to the ground. About a dozen police officers then swarmed the man, and an unknown number shot at him. “Anytime you have complete disregard for public safety and the safety of other individuals … it’s very dangerous,” Officer Frank Preciado said. The man was transported by ambulance to a hospital. The number of shots fired was not disclosed. A gun was recovered at the scene but its type was not released, Preciado said. As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, the eastbound 60 Freeway near Findlay Avenue and North Garfield Avenue remained closed.