Pursuit standoff on the 91 Freeway ends in Anaheim but traffic remains stalled

A police pursuit that started in Corona on Friday morning ended with what appeared to be the death of the pursuit suspect after a nearly two-hour standoff on the 91 Freeway in Anaheim.

The suspect was believed to be an armed 40-year-old man who was inside a blue four-door sedan that was boxed in by two armored vehicles from the Anaheim and Corona police departments, according to ABC7-TV. The standoff created gridlock on both sides of the freeway in both directions.

KTLA 5-TV aerial video showed officers cautiously approaching the vehicle and then slowly pulling the man’s body out of the driver’s seat.

The man did not appear to be moving and his condition is unknown.

KTLA 5 reported that it saw the man “slumped” in the car and saw signs of blood.

Around 8 a.m. Friday, Corona police officers located an armed man suspected of stalking someone in the area of Mckinley Street and Griffin Way in the city of Corona, police Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis told ABC7.

Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop but the man failed to stop and a pursuit was initiated, leading officers onto the 91 Freeway, Kouroubacalis said.

“We are in contact with the driver suspect via telephone and trying to bring this situation to a peaceful conclusion,” he said earlier in the morning.

Dozens of police vehicles were behind the boxed-in suspect.

Law enforcement vehicles created a barrier between the suspect and the miles-long line of waiting drivers, according to ABC7 aerial video.

Kouroubacalis cautioned drivers to stay in their vehicles and follow instructions from officers on the scene.

At 9:30 a.m. Caltrans posted on the social media platform X that the westbound 91 Freeway at Imperial Highway and eastbound portion of the highway at Lakeview Avenue were blocked.

Two schools, Crescent Elementary and Orange Pre-K, near the freeway are on precautionary lock down.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.