6 hurt in crashes after 2 LAPD pursuits

A pair of LAPD street pursuits ended in crashes that left at least six people hospitalized late Monday and early Tuesday, authorities said.

Around 12:35 a.m., officers began chasing a car near Washington Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Historic South-Central that had been involved in a carjacking earlier that night, police told The Times.

Two teenagers armed with handguns had stolen the car from its owner, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Soon after police began to chase the vehicle, it crashed into two other cars at Washington and Western Avenue.

Six people were taken to hospitals with injuries, including a 20-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman in critical condition, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. No officers were injured.

Video from the scene showed firefighters trying to pry open the door of one of the cars to free trapped passengers.

Four people in the stolen car — three 14-year-olds and one 16-year-old — tried to run away but were all apprehended, police said.

Video showed police arresting two of the teens, one of whom was crying and bleeding from the knee and the other who had a bloody face.

About two hours earlier, officers began chasing a 1995 Chevrolet Tahoe on East 84th and San Pedro streets in Florence after a license plate check determined it was stolen, according to the LAPD.

The Tahoe crashed into another SUV at 82nd Street and Central Avenue, and the female driver, 29, and a male passenger, 37, ran away but were arrested shortly after, police said.

The woman was booked on suspicion of evading police and the man on suspicion of possession of heroin and other charges.

It was not clear whether anyone was taken to the hospital.

None of the suspects or other motorists were identified.

The late-night crashes follow a string of recent collisions involving vehicles pursued by the LAPD that have killed and seriously injured bystanders.

On. Feb. 16, a woman driving to a concert was struck by two suspects fleeing police, leaving her in a medically induced coma.

The crash happened just hours after a 19-year-old Cal State Northridge student was killed when a robbery suspect being pursued by police ran a red light and crashed into his car.

A Jan. 31 high-speed crash in Panorama City left two bystanders dead. LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the department would examine whether that pursuit followed policy.