California freeway standoff ends hours later with child fleeing tear gas, driver in custody

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After an hours-long standoff in the middle of a freeway near Los Angeles Tuesday night, in which police had shot pepper balls and tear gas into the suspect's car, a small figure got out and ran into a police officer's arms moments before the driver was finally taken into custody.

California deputies stopped the fleeing suspect Tuesday after a high-speed chase that began after the driver allegedly smashed a police car in a hit-and-run collision in another county – leaving the 60 Freeway shut down in both directions going into rush hour.

Live helicopter video from Fox 11 Los Angeles showed multiple police vehicles parked on a multiple-lane highway behind a stopped red car with crash damage.

The standoff lasted roughly three hours -- with police firing multiple rounds of pepper balls through the vehicle's window, none of which forced anyone inside to try and flee. After sundown, tactical units arrived and sent tear gas into the sedan, with news helicopters hovering overhead. 

Finally, a figure emerged. It looked like a child or small adult, and ran over to a waiting police officer. Within moments, SWAT team members were taking the driver, who appeared to be an adult female, into custody.

Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had chased a red sedan through Walnut, Ontario and Chino before returning to Diamond Bar, where the driver ran into traffic, according to Fox LA. (Fox 11 Los Angeles)

Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had chased the car through Walnut, Ontario and Chino before returning to Diamond Bar, where the driver ran into traffic, according to Fox LA.

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Officers spent hours surrounding the car, sheltering behind their vehicles with guns drawn, as other law enforcement cleared civilians out of the area.

After allegedly striking a deputy's vehicle in Walnut, Calif., the driver allegedly fled through multiple counties before authorities finally caught up, according to local reports. Two people were hospitalized in that crash.

(Fox 11 Los Angeles)

Helicopter video showed the red car hitting multiple other vehicles throughout the chase before eventually running into traffic and rear-ending a silver SUV or station wagon.

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Chopper video did not clearly show anyone inside, but a news camera on the ground appeared to show movement in the front of the car. Police had still not approached the car more than a half-hour after it came to a stop.

Police were searching for a murder suspect along a stretch of 101 Freeway at the same time, according to NBC 4, leaving that road shut down as well.