Suspect Attempts to Surrender at Grocery Store After Police Chase Winds Down But Cops Aren't There

A California police chase came to an anti-climactic conclusion this week when a suspect in a car alleged to have been stolen tried to turn himself in, only to be met with an absence of cops.

KTLA and other regional outlets reported on Thursday that the ultimately abandoned chase in question started when Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers noticed an alleged-to-have-been-stolen Kia in the Downtown Los Angeles area a little before 10 p.m. local time. Later, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) took over the chase, which also saw the driver making his way to the San Fernando Valley before returning to DTLA.

When the suspect started running red lights near the University of Southern California, CHP is reported to have ceased their involvement in the potentially perilous pursuit, although another LAPD vehicle is said to have briefly followed the suspect before also backing off.

Ultimately, at around 11:25 local time, the suspect is reported to have stopped the vehicle in the parking lot of a Ralphs supermarket. While he exited the vehicle and then put his hands over his head, there were not immediately any officers on the scene, or still in pursuit, to take him up on this apparent offer of surrender. Initial reports on the incident, notably, do not mention whether or not the individual was later taken into custody.

Complex has reached out to reps for the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department for comment on this widely reported incident and will update this post accordingly.