Snarled Traffic as LAPD Seeks Car Theft Suspect

UPDATE:  The EastsiderLA reports that one suspect was apprehended around 1:45 a.m. Thursday.

EARLIER: It was a long  night for folks who lived near the intersection of Glendale Boulevard and Berkeley Avenue in Echo Park Wednesday night.

Officers from LAPD's Northeast division set up a perimeter around 9 p.m. and were still at it at after midnight Thursday, trying to locate a suspected car thief who had twice eluded them.

A local resident, the suspect had been handcuffed on the porch of a home on Alvarado Boulevard just north of Glendale early Wednesday evening, according to officers on the scene. His friends distracted police officers and he escaped, still wearing his handcuffs.

He had also escaped a perimeter set up early Tuesday morning near Silver Lake Boulevard and Sunset.

That search—which also kept a chopper in the skies for several hours—ended with the suspect escaping.

On Wednesday, an LAPD helicopter hovered over the area for several hours as the search continued.

Two dogs were finally released around 11:15 p.m, with another pair expected to arrive from LAPD’s K9 unit for backup.