Highway 91 closed as Anaheim standoff continues for more than 2 hours

Officers found themselves in a standoff with a suspect being chased by police on Highway 91 in Anaheim Friday morning, closing the highway and blocking traffic for miles before drivers began to make U-turns away. and going back the wrong way.

The suspect was in a blue sedan, wedged between two black law enforcement vehicles in the middle of the highway, where they remained for more than two hours. Caltrans announced the highway closure at 9 a.m. and as of 11:30 a.m. the person was still inside the car as the standoff continued.

Corona police said investigators believe the suspect was armed with a handgun and they were on the phone with a Corona Police Department crisis negotiation team. Police said the suspect was considered armed and dangerous.

The highway closure extended from where Interstate 91 meets Interstate 55 to the area around the Lakeview Avenue exit on 91, Caltrans officials said just before 9 a.m. Morning. Around 10 a.m. some people stuck in traffic started to turn around and the highway was pretty. much of it was emptied by 11 a.m. The California Highway Patrol had helped the drivers exit the closed highway, authorities said.

More than a dozen law enforcement officers, some with guns pointed at the car, and two K-9 units were involved in the police response.

Two area elementary schools — Orange Unified Pre-K and Crescent Elementary School — have placed students under shelter-in-place orders due to the incident, school officials said. At Orange Unified, parents and buses were able to pick up students early.

From 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., aerial footage showed cars crowded together on the highway behind at least a dozen patrol vehicles.

CHP confirmed the end of the pursuit and the subsequent criminal investigation led to the closure.

There appears to have been a collision in an area of ​​the traffic jam, where a tractor-trailer was parked horizontally on the highway.

“Please avoid the area and use caution when driving,” Caltrans said in a traffic alert.

Caltrans provides drivers with real-time traffic updates via a map available here.

Mark Liu contributed to this report.