LOS ANGELES — A suspected car thief who led police on a chase is dead after falling from a 17-story crane at the Port of Los Angeles.
The suspect reportedly stole the vehicle from a San Bernardino dealership Wednesday afternoon then led police on a high-speed chase down the freeway. Officers said he was driving recklessly, darting in and out of rush-hour traffic and nearly hitting several other drivers.
The pursuit turned into a three-hour standoff when the suspect jumped out of the car and climbed up the crane.
It was reportedly a tense situation as SWAT teams were called to the scene, but the suspect appeared not to care. He was seen “walking around, waving, twitching and even doing calisthenics on the narrow ledge of the crane,” reported CBS News. He reportedly even took off his clothes.
Police said the man either fell or jumped to his death around 9:30 p.m.
The man has not been identified at this time.
