Robbery suspect on parole arrested after lengthy pursuit through Pico-Union area
A 36-year-old man whom authorities considered to be armed and dangerous, was arrested following a nearly hour-long pursuit through the Pico-Union and Downtown Los Angeles areas late Wednesday evening.
The pursuit began just before 10:30 p.m., though it was unclear what exactly prompted Los Angeles Police Department officers to engage the suspect, who has been identified as John Palombi.
At times, the driver could be seen hurtling through intersections at high speeds, swerving around uninvolved traffic and passing onto the wrong side of the road.
Nearly 15 minutes into the chase, the suspect slowed to allow two passengers bail from the vehicle on foot. At least one of those people was taken into custody, police said.
Throughout the lengthy chase, the suspect avoided four spike strips. One spike strip did prove successful, however, causing the vehicle to lose three of its tires.
After avoiding the third spike strip of the pursuit, the suspect again slowed to allow a passenger out of the vehicle. They appeared to immediately surrender to officers.
As they continued to drive, sparks could be seen flying as the suspect appeared to struggle with control of the vehicle, which was fishtailing along surface streets.
The pursuit continued through Pico-Union surface streets, often traveling at high speeds while hurtling through intersections despite other uninvolved traffic.
After more than an hour, with sparks and smoke appearing from underneath the car, the suspect finally came to a stop at 11:30 p.m. near S. Alvarado Street and W. Olympic Boulevard. The suspect exited the vehicle with hands up and surrendered to officers. Another person, a fourth passenger, also exited the vehicle and was taken into custody.
Pursuing officers had requested assistance from specialized units at one point, according to LAPD, who noted that nine different squad cars were approved to assist with the chase. The FBI was also reportedly involved in a task force search for Palombi.
Palombi's extensive criminal history included a parole violation in March 2023, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person in Nov. 2021, robbery in May 2020 and possession of a concealed firearm in 2019.
Vehicle comes to stop, suspect taken into custody
With sparks continuing to fly and smoke billowing from underneath the vehicle, the suspect finally came to a stop near S. Alvarado Street and W. Olympic Boulevard.
Several LAPD squad cars quickly pulled up behind the suspect, who was finally taken into custody after surrendering.
One other passenger also exited the vehicle, surrendering to officers as well.
Vehicle loses tire, sparks fly
Suspect hits spike strip
A fourth spike strip proved successful just before 11:10 p.m.
Despite this, the suspect continued to drive through the Pico-Union area.
As they continued to drive, the vehicle appeared to be fishtailing as smoke showed from under the tires.
LAPD reported that three of the tires were shredded, with just the front-side driver's tire still in tact.
Pair of spike strips prove unsuccessful
The suspect successfully avoided a pair of spike strips while driving through the Downtown LA area, continuing to flee from pursuing officers.
LAPD said that nine units were approved to be involved in the chase.
Suspect nearly hits spike strip, third passenger bails on foot
At around 10:55 p.m., the suspect nearly hit a spike strip near S. Alvarado Street and W. 12th Street before the slowing again to allow another passenger to bail from the vehicle on foot.
The suspect again continued to flee from pursuing officers.
The passenger immediately surrendered and was taken into custody.
Pursuit continues into Downtown LA
The pursuit suspect headed into Downtown Los Angeles, near Crypto.com Arena, causing Sky-CAL to temporarily lose sight of the pursuit before the suspect again continued into the Pico-Union area.
2 passengers bail on foot
As the suspect headed down W.18th Street and S. Hoover Street, they slowed to allow two passengers out of the vehicle who ran on foot.
The driver, however, continued on, running through a red light in the process of fleeing.
One of the people was reported to be in custody as of 10:50 p.m.
Police said that the primary suspect was not detained as the pursuit continued.
