Los Angeles FD set up air cushion under LAX freeway as man threatens to jump following chase

The Los Angeles Fire Department set up an air cushion underneath a freeway just outside LAX Thursday for a man threatening to jump following a high-speed chase. 

According to ABC 7, the unknown driver led officers with the California Highway Patrol in a pursuit that originate in San Diego County earlier in the day before eventually being taken into custody outside of the Southern California airport. 

After arriving at the airport, the man jumped out of his vehicle, a dark-colored Nissan sedan, and darted toward the edge of the bridge near LAX. 

Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department engaged in a standoff with the man on top of the bridge for more than an hour before the air cushion was set up.

The man was seen looking like he was ready to jump with the ‘L’ of the LAX in the background 

Officers originally stood behind their marked vehicles as the man got close to the edge and threatened to jump Thursday afternoon in LA

The man at one point appeared to be relaxing on the edge of the highway’s overpass as officers and negotiators were brought in to talk him down

Not only was traffic on the highway where the man was standing shut off, but because officials deployed an air cushion underneath it, both lanes of traffic on CA-1 were also closed

Helicopter footage from ABC 7 showed heavy traffic outside of the area where the freeway was closed for the standoff. 

Initial reports indicate that the man may have been armed with a weapon.  

According to CHP officials, the pursuit in San Diego began when police attempted to pull the man over for driving head on at incoming traffic. 

Rather than stopping, he took off, reaching speeds upwards of 90 miles per hour. 

Luckily, the highways were not heavily crowded as the pursuit began around midday in the Southern California county. 

The man took the Interstate 5 northbound all the way up through San Diego County and Orange County before he arrived in Los Angeles. 

Another angle shows just how close the man came to falling or jumping off the top of the bridge outside of LAX 

The man drover upwards of 90 miles per hour through at least three Southern California counties Thursday before jumping out of his car on a bridge outside of LAX

The northern most point of San Diego County is just under 70 miles from the Los Angeles airport. 

He eventually got off and transitioned highways and sped through Compton and Inglewood, both located east of the airport. 

The helicopter caught the man repeatedly sticking his head out of his Nissan’s window, checking for police and law enforcement behind him. 

He arrived at the airport around 1pm, ABC7 reported and ran to the edge of the bridge while officers stood behind their patrol car doors. 

Traffic between Century Boulevard and northbound Sepulveda Boulevard was impacted by the standoff, officials said. 

As of 2.30pm Pacific Standard Time, officers on the bridge were within feet of the man, who helicopter footage showed sitting on the barrier of the highway ledge and just before 3pm, the man was taken into custody. 

LAX officials urged drivers to look for alternate routes while the issue was resolved. 

‘Police activity is ongoing near the LAX entrance. Westbound Century Blvd. to the departures level is open, but Southbound Sepulveda remains the best way to access the airport,’ the airport’s account tweeted. 

‘Flights are not impacted, but traffic will be heavy and delayed. Allow extra time,’ LAX continued. 

One person responded, calling the backup from the incident ‘huge’ and advising an alternate route.