A driver and four passengers fled a stolen Kia Soul Thursday after a chase in southern Los Angeles County that ended in a Hawthorne neighborhood.
The five individuals, all juveniles, headed toward a residential area after the chase, which took place on the 110 Freeway and surrounding streets on a day with light traffic due to the July 4 holiday. The chase escalated after the driver went out onto streets in the Wilmington area.
The driver returned to the freeway in Carson, where speeds reached 90 mph. The Soul swerved between lanes and onto the shoulder of the road as it passed other cars on a relatively clear Los Angeles freeway.
The driver ran several red lights before stopping in a Hawthorne neighborhood at Jefferson Avenue and W. 129th Street, where all occupants exited the Kia simultaneously and sprinted between apartment buildings. They were taken into custody later Thursday afternoon.
“I don’t know what’s going on in our generation. They don’t think clearly. There are better things to do than steal a car, show it to people, and then get chased and arrested,” said a Hawthorne neighbor.
Deputies released some of the minors who were passengers to their parents shortly afterward.
Details about the initial crime in the South Los Angeles area were not immediately available.
