Authorities have arrested an Uber driver suspected of trying to kill a law enforcement officer while fleeing a traffic stop in Lennox — then holding a woman hostage in his vehicle for nine hours in Beverly Hills.
The suspect, identified as Osvaldo del Rio, was taken into custody around 2 a.m. Monday after members of the LA County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Enforcement Bureau used chemical agents to force him from his vehicle. The Sheriff’s Department recovered a huge stockpile of weapons – including rifles, handguns and ammunition – when a search warrant is issued in connection with the incident.
A representative for Uber did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Monday, but said in a statement nbc4 Del Rio has been removed from the platform and the company will support law enforcement in their investigation.
“This must have been a terrifying experience,” Uber said in its statement. “We are grateful to law enforcement for their response and are relieved that no one was seriously injured.”
The dramatic series of events began at 2:55 a.m. Sunday when a sheriff’s deputy conducted a traffic stop of a gray Ford pickup truck for a vehicle code violation near the intersection of 104th Street and Hawthorne Avenue in Lenox.
The deputy noticed a handgun in Del Rio’s waistband and attempted to pull him out of the truck. But Del Rio began driving away, dragging the deputy for 150 feet, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The deputy was taken to the hospital and later released.
At approximately 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Beverly Hills Police received an alert from an automated license plate recognition system locating the suspect’s vehicle. Police said officers attempted a traffic stop, which led to a brief pursuit, resulting in Del Rio’s vehicle colliding with another car.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, Del Rio, who was believed to be armed with a handgun, refused to exit the vehicle and took a female passenger hostage during a lengthy standoff in the 8800 block of Burton Way.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene at 3 p.m. and used deescalation tactics to try to get the suspect out of the car for several hours, but to no avail.
At approximately midnight, the female passenger, whose relationship to Del Rio is unknown, managed to escape from the vehicle and ran toward authorities.
After chemical agents were deployed, Del Rio eventually got out of the car about two hours later, but continued to refuse to cooperate with orders. According to the Sheriff’s Department, “he was taken into custody after the use of less lethal tactics and encouragement from a LASD K9.”
He was taken to hospital for medical clearance and then booked on suspicion of attempt to murder.
