LOS ANGELES -- A man was in custody Friday following a police pursuit that ended in the water at the port of Los Angeles, after the suspect drove a stolen van off the roadway and into harbor waters, authorities said.

The chase began when police spotted a van running a red light near the area of South Broadway and West Gage Avenue around 1:45 a.m., Sgt. Jim Lewis of the Los Angeles Police Department's 77th Street Station told an RMG News camera crew at the scene.

The man driving the van refused to stop, and a chase ensued, Lewis said.

The pursuit continued on the southbound Harbor (110) Freeway to the Los Angeles Harbor area, where the man drove toward Berth 194 at the Port of Los Angeles, then off a jetty, sending the van into the water, Lewis told RMG.

After exiting the submerged vehicle, the man stood shirtless on the van's roof, dove into the water and began swimming around, eluding officers for roughly 15 minutes, he said.

The suspect eventually boarded a Los Angeles City Fire boat and was taken into custody, Lewis told RMG.

The suspect told police he had no idea he was driving near the water until the van's airbag deployed, hit him in the chest and water began entering the vehicle, Lewis told RMG, adding that the vehicle was apparently stolen.

Police divers checked for other possible occupants in the van, which sunk about 40 feet, but there no others, according to RMG.

The suspect's name was not immediately released.