By Daily Press staff
SANTA MONICA PLACE — A carjacking in the Santa Monica Place mall parking structure led police early Sunday on a high-speed chase that ended in Los Angeles with one of the suspects being arrested.
At 1:18 a.m., two Redondo Beach residents in a Ford Explorer were entering parking structure No. 7, between Broadway and Colorado Avenue, when a man grabbed the victim’s purse and sprayed her and her companion with pepper spray.
The two suspects — a man and a woman — entered the Explorer and drove away. A short time later, a Santa Monica Police unit saw the vehicle on the eastbound Santa Monica Freeway at La Brea. The suspect’s vehicle failed to stop for police and a vehicle pursuit ensued. The pursuit terminated at Laurel and Rosewood in Los Angeles following a traffic collision. The suspects fled and a perimeter was established.
Keith Duane Pye, 22, of Los Angeles, was arrested at the scene. A second suspect, described as a black female in her 20s, about five feet seven inches tall, between 140 and 185 pounds, is still at large. She was wearing a white baggy T-shirt and blue pants.
Pye was booked at the Santa Monica jail and charged with armed robbery, car-jacking, felony evading, felony hit-and-run, and parole violation with no bail.
Both victims were treated for eye irritation from the pepper spray.
Anyone having information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the SMPD at (310) 458-8491. Callers who wish to provide anonymous information also may call the We-Tip national hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463). Callers with information that leads to an arrest and conviction become eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 26, 2005. Read the original PDF.