(Tim Conway, Jr. at the final stop of Friday night's chase)
You probably saw or heard about the high-speed car chase which took viewers on a magical journey from LA to OC and back again, before winding up at KFI's very own back-door right here in Burbank!
Ding DONG with you!
What Happened?
A plateless Porsche convertible led police on a high speed chase throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The Porsche Carrera had two people inside: the driver, a male who's been identified as one Bill Robinson, and a female passenger whose name has yet to be released.
Sergeant Steven Rusk and the California Highway Patrol started chasing the Carrera at about 8 PM on the 101 South Freeway in Universal City after the luxury sports car had initially been tailed by the Burbank PD.
Robinson was able to stay one step ahead of CHP, allowing for Orange County law enforcement to take over chasing duties as Robinson made his way east on the 91 Riverside Freeway.
Shooting himself in the foot, he decided to make a roughly 15-mile U-turn and started heading back to LA where the chase would eventually end.
Cool Story, Bro. But So What?
SO glad you asked! What made this chase a bit more special than usual was that it ended just about a block from the KFI / iHeartRADIO studios in Burbank, which means we had primo seats, bub.
We covered the chase for over an hour, which brought us right to the end of the show! But as the suspects were speeding northward on the 101, they exited at Barham Blvd. just after passing through Hollywood.
What a coincidence, the Barham exit just happens to be the same exit commuters have to take to get to KFI. If not coincidence, then it was just plain ol' good luck as the Conway Crew realized we might be right in the line of sight for this chase.
So, in typical amazing, nay...STELLAR Conway Crew fashion, we were all over this story from the get-go, even as the news and police air traffic started sailing into view from our own studio.
In fact, show producer Sheron Bellio was first on the scene to look outside the windows at the incoming helicopters:
Again, all of this was going on the air as we closed out Friday night's show! It was starting to look like the chase might actually wrap up at the same time as the show.
Was this serendipity? Synchronicity?
Take a listen to find out what the stars had in store as Tim provided live chase commentary, awaiting the suspects' final arrival in Burbank.
During the last segment of the show, KFI producer Joey Marotta ran outside and immediately started live streaming on the Tim Conway, Jr. Facebook Page to see if anything video-worthy was afoot. Things started off calmly enough, but slowly, one by one, police sirens and helicopter blades could be heard coming in from a distance.
After some time at the apartment complex where the chase had stopped, a quick look into the alley behind revealed a heavy police presence and investigation of the suspects' now vacated car:
Final view from Robinson's Porsche in the alleyway behind Alameda Ave (Photo by Joey Marotta)
Police searching the center console of the Porsche Carrera (Photo by Joey Marotta)
Sgt. Steven Rusk of the CHP speaks with reporters following the conclusion of the chase (Photo by Joey Marotta). Rusk was the lead chasing officer while the fiasco was making its way through LA.
Check out Joey's Facebook Live Stream of the final moments of the chase: