Murder Suspect Arrested After Vehicle Chase Ends in Crash

Heavily armed San Diego police officers approach a house in this file photo taken in San Diego, Calif., on April 27, 2019. John Gibbins/The San Diego Union-Tribune via AP

A man suspected in a murder and a separate assault on a law enforcement officer was arrested Tuesday evening following a lengthy vehicle chase that started in San Diego, and ended in a non-fatal crash in Los Angeles County.

The California Highway Patrol confirmed that the man leading the vehicle chase was suspected in a murder and the assault of an officer, NBC Los Angeles reported.

He allegedly assaulted a deputy of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department when several officers attempted to make contact with him after being notified of the vehicle chase, according to FOX 11.

Separately, NBC Los Angeles’s sister station, KGET, reported that the suspect is 35-year-old Michael Caleb Reed, who is suspected of killing Michael Lewis, 40, during a shooting in Oildale.

The northbound vehicle chase started in San Diego around 5:30 p.m. and came to a halt around 7 p.m. in Pomona, east Los Angeles, when the murder suspect struck the front end of a truck after turning onto the wrong side of the street, according to footage posted by NBC Los Angeles.

The news outlet reported that the man nearly struck several others during the vehicle chase, and at one point drove on a sidewalk. He allegedly reached speeds of more than 90 mph on Highway 60.

It isn’t clear whether any injuries were sustained in the incident. The suspect and a female passenger were taken into custody, FOX 11 reported.

The female passenger, who was released by police, told reporters that she is a friend of the driver, and wasn’t aware that he was suspected in a murder. She said the suspect is from Bakersfield.