Orange County residents were advised to avoid the 5 Freeway heading south to San Diego County on Saturday morning.
The freeway was closed in both directions in the Oceanside area, with drivers stuck in their cars overnight for hours, after a California Highway Patrol pursuit ended in an officer-involved shooting and standoff, according to TV broadcast reports in San Diego.
A man reported to be armed ran from his disabled car with a gun and took cover in brush near the freeway. The CHP and San Diego County Sheriff’s units shut down the freeway in both directions and were still trying to take the man into custody this morning.
One woman said she had been stuck in her car for four hours.
“I’m in the traffic jam going 5S. Everyone has turned their car off and are just basically napping for like three hours now. Pretty wild,” another person wrote on Reddit.
Another wrote: “I’m on the 5N been stuck since 2:30 or so. It was black because everyone turned off their cars and lights. It’s 6:20 am now. It’s getting light out now. People are starting to come out of their cars and stretch.”
Drivers said CHP officers could not tell them when the situation would be resolved and all lanes would be reopened.
This is a developing story and will be updated.