Police Chase Wrong Man for Spitting

Police, followed by a phalanx of media helicopters, chased a man through the San Fernando Valley to Griffith Park on Tuesday after a driver reported that the man had spit on him.

The spit-upon driver, who admitted he had cut the man off, chased the offender, and police joined because spitting is a battery, Sgt. Mike Patriquin said.

As the suspect’s car headed toward congested intersections, police called off the chase from the ground, but continued from the air.

An hour after the pursuit began, police stopped David Smith, 43, of West Hills, after he got out of his car and ran through Griffith Park.

But Smith was not the spitter, police said. The spitter got away, and police had been chasing an SUV similar to his. However, Smith was booked on suspicion of driving with a suspended license, evading police and speeding from the scene of an accident. He struck another car during the chase, police said.