Video above: Sky5’s coverage of the high-speed, multi-county chase on October 24.
A 27-year-old man was arrested after a high-speed chase that spanned several counties Friday evening.
According to a media release from the California Highway Patrol, officers from the Los Angeles Police Department began a pursuit of a Nissan Sentra — later found to be driven by Luciano Antonio Luis Villanueva — just after 6:50 p.m.
The pursuit began in the North Hollywood area and was initiated on suspicion of drunk driving and weapons possession, the CHP said.
“Villanueva fled from the LAPD in his vehicle, and a high-speed vehicle pursuit ensued on Highway 101 toward Ventura County at speeds of up to 110 miles per hour,” the CHP added.
Upon driving into Ventura County, LAPD units abandoned the pursuit to officers at the CHP’s West Valley District Station, who pursued Villanueva for another 15 miles at high speeds.
Units from CHP’s Ventura Area station were able to successfully deploy a spike strip on the left side tires of Villanueva’s Sentra, which “significantly reduced” its speeds; However, officials said he kept going before eventually having to stop on the right shoulder of Route 101 just before the Seaward Avenue ramp due to damaged tires.
“A high-risk stop was conducted and Villanueva was successfully taken into custody without further incident,” the CHP said.
The 27-year-old was then transferred to the custody of the Los Angeles Police, who rushed to the scene. Law enforcement officials confirmed that he was arrested and charged with various felonies.
Sky5 was part of the pursuit Friday night, where Villanueva was seen reaching speeds of nearly 100 mph on the freeway, driving recklessly on surface streets, running red lights, moving through lanes at speed and narrowly missing other vehicles.
However, the Sky5 crew was unable to capture the end of the chase, as low fog and clouds made it unsafe to continue tracking the situation from the sky.