Kyp Arnold, Teacher Accused of Lewd Acts, in CHP Chase That Goes Airborne (VIDEO)
Updated at the bottom with the the name of the suspect, an LAUSD teacher, and more details about how it all started. Headline has changed. First posted at 2:16 p.m.
demonik / KCAL9 / YouTube
A wild pursuit of a suspect reportedly wanted for lewd acts on a child ended with the driver's pickup flying off an embankment in a kamikaze move worth of Dukes of Hazzard.
The 1 p.m.-hour chase went along the 405 freeway and ended up on surface streets in the South Bay, where a California Highway Patrol unit attempted a PIT maneuver that spun the vehicle into a tractor-trailer, according to footage of the pursuit aired on KTLA News and KCAL9.
That didn't stop the driver, though:
The truck continued on surface streets until -- seemingly on purpose -- it flew off an embankment, catching much air and crashing into what KCAL9 said was an unoccupied learning center at Crenshaw Boulevard and Indian Peak Road in Rancho Palos Verdes.
KCAL said the driver had told authorities he wouldn't be taken down by cops.
The 1:30 p.m. crash then set into motion a serious rescue and extraction effort by paramedic and fire crews. It wasn't clear if the suspect survived.
Twitter use @LAScanner had this take on the spectacular ending:
Down in Rancho PV, dude just pulled straight Dukes of Hazzard move to try to kill himself during pursuit. bit.ly/NIekWf h/t @mpoppel
— @LAScanner (@LAScanner) July 10, 2012
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