Man in Custody After Whittier Barricade Following Burbank Police Pursuit
Man in Custody After Whittier Barricade Following Burbank Police Pursuit
by Contributing Editor
A man accused of nearly running over a Burbank police officer and leading officers on a vehicle chase to Whittier, where he barricaded himself in an apartment before surrendering early Monday, was being held on $390,000 bail.
Michael Wedge, 35, of Santa Fe Springs was taken into custody about 1 a.m. and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon against a police officer, felony evading, and outstanding warrants, according to Burbank police and the sheriff’s department.
The incident began about 10:15 p.m. Sunday, when a Burbank police officer attempted to contact the driver of a Nissan Frontier pickup truck near the Ramada by Wyndham hotel at 2900 N. San Fernando Blvd., according to Burbank police Sgt. Derek Green.
“The driver of the truck, later identified as Michael Shawn Wedge, fled from the officer and nearly struck him with his vehicle,” Green said. “Mr. Wedge led Burbank police and California Highway Patrol officers on a pursuit, south along the Interstate 5 Freeway and east on the 60 Freeway, before stopping in Whittier.”
Wedge got out of the truck and ran off, and authorities detained a woman who was riding in the truck with him and set up a perimeter, Green said.
“It was believed that Mr. Wedge entered a residential apartment within the perimeter,” Green said. “Shortly after establishing the perimeter, an adult female fled from an apartment and contacted police officers nearby. She told the officers that Mr. Wedge had barged into her apartment and barricaded the front door with furniture.”
The woman told police that she escaped through another door.
Burbank police SWAT officers and crisis negotiators were sent to the scene, and Wedge refused repeated orders to surrender, Green said.
“Due to the dangerous and potentially volatile situation, Burbank SWAT moved in and engaged Mr. Wedge,” who was taken into custody without further incident, the sergeant said.
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All credit goes to Contributing Editor
Originally published on https://mynewsla.com
