Bizarre 5-Hour Slow-Speed Pursuit Of Stolen U-Haul Winds From Burbank To Hancock Park

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The driver of a stolen U-Haul truck led police on a slow-speed pursuit through the streets of Los Angeles early Friday morning that lasted more than five hours.

The chase started at around 1 a.m. in Burbank when officers spotted the truck, ran its plates, and discovered it had been reported stolen from a U-Haul store at Victory Boulevard and Alameda Avenue. It's unclear when the truck was actually taken.

During parts of the pursuit, the suspect appeared to be smoking and talking on his cell phone.

Officers deployed spike strips, but the U-Haul kept going.

At around 6 a.m., the driver stopped in a residential neighborhood in Hancock Park at Sycamore Avenue and West 6th Street. LAPD patrol cars then circled the truck on foot, pinning it in.

The suspect exited a little before 6:30 a.m., got on the ground and was taken into custody. No one was hurt.

Police told CBSLA that U-Haul trucks are often targeted by thieves.  This particular U-Haul had been stolen from a rental company. It's unclear how the suspect got the keys, police said.