High speed chase in los angeles today

A man threatens to jump off a ramp near Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday afternoon.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A driver who led authorities on a high-speed chase on the 5 Freeway from San Diego was taken into custody after an hourlong standoff Thursday afternoon near Los Angeles International Airport, authorities said.

The incident began when San Diego police attempted to pull over the suspect, who was driving in the wrong direction, according to authorities and several media reports.

California Highway Patrol officers continued the pursuit on the freeway that eventually ended up at an overpass near the LAX entrance on West Century Boulevard, authorities said.

The man, possibly armed with a knife, was reportedly threatening to jump from the overpass after the chase about 1:15 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Video from KABC-TV showed multiple police vehicles surrounding a person on the railing of an overpass at the airport. Firefighters installed an inflatable landing pad under the overpass. Traffic around the airport was temporarily disrupted.

The standoff lasted until around 3 p.m. when the individual was taken into custody, authorities said.

“Los Angeles Airport Police Officers responded to assist and were able to take the suspect into custody peacefully and successfully,” airport police officials said. “Impacted traffic is now in the process of opening back up.”

CHP is expected to take custody of the person and conduct the investigation.

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Christian Martinez is a Metro reporter covering breaking news at the Los Angeles Times. He previously wrote for the USA Today network of newspapers including the Ventura County Star, where he covered the Thomas and Woolsey wildfires and the Borderline mass shooting, the Spectrum & Daily News in Utah and the Lansing State Journal in Michigan. He was born and raised in Southern California and attended Saint Mary’s College of California.

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After a high-speed chase spanning three California counties and an hour-long standoff at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), a driver was taken into custody Thursday afternoon, authorities and local media report.

Police did not release the name of the person in custody as of early Thursday.

According to NBC 4 Los Angeles and FOX 11 LA, the chase started in San Diego – and then moved to Orange and Los Angeles Counties, with California Highway Patrol officers pursuing the suspect.

Complete details on why the driver was being pursued were not immediately clear, but FOX 5 KSWB-TV said authorities initially tried to stop the vehicle for reckless driving in San Diego at around 11:40 a.m. PT.

The gray Nissan Altima was seen running red lights and making other traffic violations, NBC 4 reported.

Watch:Dashcam captures Florida police chasing down alleged car thief through backyards, fences

Eventually, the chase came to a halt on an onramp near LAX around 1 p.m. PT – at Sepulveda and Century boulevards, NBC 4 said, close to the airport's entrance.

LAX is about 120 miles away from San Diego, where authorities initially tried to stop the driver.

In video footage captured by Sky FOX, the driver is seen running out of the vehicle. The suspect moved onto the guardrail, and, according to a Los Angeles Fire Department alert, threatened to jump. LAFD emergency personnel set up an inflatable air rescue cushion on the street below.

More than an hour later, the standoff ended. Shortly after 2:40 p.m. ET, the LAFD tweeted the subject was in custody and the situation was "de escalating."

LAX confirmed this on Twitter, after multiple updates that cautioned travelers about the police activity. The airport said flights were not impacted, but traffic was heavy and delayed.

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"Police activity around the airport has concluded and the impacted roadways will be opening as soon as possible," LAX wrote at 2:49 p.m. PT.

USA TODAY has reached out to the San Diego Police Department and California Highway Patrol for further information.