MagicMtnDan
03-08-2006, 06:14 PM
There's got to be a better way than letting a scumbag like this tie up thousands of people by closing a freeway for 4 1/2 hours!
LOS ANGELES - A kidnapping suspect who fled police then prompted a four-and-a-half-hour standoff on the Long Beach (710) Freeway surrendered peacefully Wednesday, but not before snarling traffic for much of the day. Images
The freeway was closed in both directions in the area of Imperial Highway after the standoff with the possibly armed suspect, who sat in a disabled red minivan, began about 10:30 a.m., said Long Beach police Officer Jackie Bezart.
Just before 3 p.m., the suspect -- identified as 32-year-old Eduardo Medina -- got out of the red minivan and surrendered to SWAT officers, who had surrounded the vehicle and blocked it with several armored trucks.
Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Paul Vernon said Medina, a gang member, was wanted in connection with a kidnapping in Van Nuys. Vernon said Medina and an 18-year-old accomplice tried to kidnap a restaurant owner's daughter for ransom, but accidentally kidnapped the daughter's 17-year-old friend.
The 18-year-old suspect was arrested in December, but Medina remained at large. Vernon said police received a tip that Medina was in Long Beach, and police tried to arrest him this morning in a traffic stop.
Medina refused to pull over, and Long Beach police pursued him onto the 710 Freeway until his minivan stalled in the northbound lanes, Vernon said. Unsure if Medina was armed, police surrounded the vehicle, beginning the lengthy standoff.
At one point, authorities used a robot to deliver a telephone to the suspect.
He did not specify what convinced Medina to give up.
It was not immediately clear if Medina had a weapon, he said.
Vernon also defended the manner in which police decided to wait out the suspect, even if many motorists had to put up with long traffic delays.
"There are no options. We can't take risks with people's lives. What if he did have a gun? It sounds easy to say storm the truck," Vernon said, "but not if you're the one storming the truck."
LOS ANGELES - A kidnapping suspect who fled police then prompted a four-and-a-half-hour standoff on the Long Beach (710) Freeway surrendered peacefully Wednesday, but not before snarling traffic for much of the day. Images
The freeway was closed in both directions in the area of Imperial Highway after the standoff with the possibly armed suspect, who sat in a disabled red minivan, began about 10:30 a.m., said Long Beach police Officer Jackie Bezart.
Just before 3 p.m., the suspect -- identified as 32-year-old Eduardo Medina -- got out of the red minivan and surrendered to SWAT officers, who had surrounded the vehicle and blocked it with several armored trucks.
Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Paul Vernon said Medina, a gang member, was wanted in connection with a kidnapping in Van Nuys. Vernon said Medina and an 18-year-old accomplice tried to kidnap a restaurant owner's daughter for ransom, but accidentally kidnapped the daughter's 17-year-old friend.
The 18-year-old suspect was arrested in December, but Medina remained at large. Vernon said police received a tip that Medina was in Long Beach, and police tried to arrest him this morning in a traffic stop.
Medina refused to pull over, and Long Beach police pursued him onto the 710 Freeway until his minivan stalled in the northbound lanes, Vernon said. Unsure if Medina was armed, police surrounded the vehicle, beginning the lengthy standoff.
At one point, authorities used a robot to deliver a telephone to the suspect.
He did not specify what convinced Medina to give up.
It was not immediately clear if Medina had a weapon, he said.
Vernon also defended the manner in which police decided to wait out the suspect, even if many motorists had to put up with long traffic delays.
"There are no options. We can't take risks with people's lives. What if he did have a gun? It sounds easy to say storm the truck," Vernon said, "but not if you're the one storming the truck."