Woman arrested after bizarre chase

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. Long Beach police received a call of a woman screaming at Orange and Bixby at 6:05 a.m.

When officers arrived, a woman attempted to ram the police vehicle three times and started the pursuit on city streets.

After a brief chase through Long Beach, the woman got on the 22 Freeway. CHP officers took over the pursuit that spanned over four freeways, including the eastbound 91 and southbound SR 241.

At one point, the suspect drove onto a grassy area off the southbound 241 toll road, drove in circles, drove in the wrong directions, and even got out of the car to gesture at officers.

Police attempted to stop the car with a pit maneuver, causing the Scion to spin out, but the driver kept going, despite the bumper falling off.

Police were able to end the pursuit by boxing the car in with patrol cars on the 241 at Oso Parkway in Rancho Santa Margarita. Officers surrounded the vehicle, with one officer even jumping on top of the car, and they pulled the driver out of the window.

The woman was forced to the ground, handcuffed and arrested. No one was injured in the pursuit.

"It was very erratic, somebody to do circles in the middle of a toll road and leads you to suspect, you know, what is this person really thinking? Are they possibly under the influence? So there's a lot of factors that can come into play," said CHP Officer Chris Goodwin.

"This was unusual and not the normal pursuit that you may see."

While she was in custody in the backseat of the cruiser, the woman could be seen talking excitedly to herself and to onlookers.

The 47-year-old woman has not been identified. She was turned over to Long Beach police, where she's expected to face a long list of charges.

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