On Friday morning, a police chase suspect and officers engaged in a standoff on the 91 Freeway in Anaheim.
91 Freeway shuts down in Anaheim
The incident caused the highway to down and caused traffic gridlock for several miles, until motorists began to evacuate by reversing course and returning the reverse way.
Just before 9 a.m., Caltrans officials said that the closure covered the area where the 91 highway joins the 55 freeway to the 91’s Lakeview Avenue exit. By 10 a.m., some of the traffic jam’s victims began to turn back, and by 11 a.m., the roadway was almost completely cleared.
At that point, the suspect and the police were still engaged in a standoff. The suspect was positioned inside a blue sedan that was sandwiched between two black cop cars.
Two K-9 units and over a dozen officers—some of whom had firearms aimed at the car—were engaged in the standoff.
Due to the incident, kids at Orange Unified Pre-K and Crescent Elementary School in the neighborhood were placed under a shelter-in-place order, according to school officials.
Parents and busses were able to pick up students early at Orange Unified.
Aerial video captured cars crammed together on the highway behind at least a dozen law enforcement vehicles between 9 and 10 a.m.
Authorities with the California Highway Patrol verified the conclusion of the chase, and the closure followed a criminal investigation.
In one section of the gridlock, a semi-truck was parked horizontally on the roadway, seemingly the scene of a collision.
At nine in the morning, Caltrans issued a traffic notice, advising drivers to avoid the area and drive carefully.