Suspected wrong-way driver nabbed on 605 Freeway near Long Beach/Orange County border

A wrong-way driver with passengers was taken into custody Sunday after a pursuit ended with sheriff’s deputies using a PIT maneuver to crash his SUV into a center divider on the 605 Freeway, authorities said.

The pursuit began in the Lakewood/Long Beach area about 5 p.m. Sunday.

Deputies were trying to pull the SUV over because the motorist was driving on the wrong side of the road and running stop signs and red lights, the Sheriff’s Department said.

A sheriff’s cruiser pulled off a successful PIT maneuver as the vehicle tried to enter the 605 Freeway at Spring Street in Long Beach. The SUV came to a stop after striking the center divider under a freeway overpass, the department reported.

The driver was arrested and a woman and teenager who were passengers were deemed witnesses, sheriff’s Lt. Michael Shaw said.

The driver, identified as 33-year-old Gilbert Angeles, was arrested on suspicion of felony evading, DUI and child endangerment, Shaw said.