Suspected drunk driver leads police on high speed chase

A suspected drunken driver led police on a high-speed chase tonight on four Southland freeways and side-swiped another vehicle before being taken into custody in Hollywood. The chase began just before 8 p.m. in Burbank, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The suspect traveled at speeds exceeding 100 mph at times on the Golden State (5), Ronald Reagan (118), Hollywood (170) and Hollywood (101) freeways where a tire on the black Mercedes-Benz blew out, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The suspect exited the freeway at Highland Avenue and side-swiped a sport utility vehicle on Franklin Avenue just before the chase ended underneath the Hollywood Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A 3-year-old boy inside the sport utility vehicle was taken to a hospital, according to broadcast reports. The suspect, identified in news reports as Bryant Valencia, spoke to reporters as police took him from the scene in handcuffs.

“I would never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever disrespect law enforcement when they chase me because I would not run. Running is not a good thing,” he said.
Asked if he realized he put people in danger, he said, “Do you realize I need help and I got swiped?”
He said he fled police because he wants to “go back home and live good.”

Valencia told reporters he had been incarcerated before and didn’t care that we would soon be behind bars again. The sport utility vehicle driver, a man from Miami visiting the area with his family, said his son was taken to a hospital after complaining of back pain.

“I saw a car coming at me and I kind off swerved off to avoid him and he hit me in the back, as you can see, and then we just rolled over, I don’t know how many times,” he said. “We were upside down and all I remember right
now was watching my son hanging from the car seat.”