3 police chases leave 1 dead, 5 injured
Over a 15-hour period, a string of pursuits occur in the L.A. area, starting in La Verne.
From a suspected purse thief fleeing in South Los Angeles to a stolen vehicle in pursuit in Boyle Heights, three police chases in the Los Angeles area have resulted in at least five injuries and one fatality in the span of 15 hours.
Los Angeles is no stranger to police pursuits, with more than 4,000 recorded from 2018 to 2022, according to Police Department data released in 2023. About 38% of those resulted in a collision, and roughly a quarter resulted in a collision that caused injuries or death.
Almost half of the people injured or killed in those pursuits were bystanders, such as the bicyclist killed during a police chase in South L.A. on Wednesday morning.
Tuesday at 4 p.m.:
The La Verne Police Department was notified of a stolen vehicle near Williams Avenue and Foothill Boulevard on Tuesday at 4 p.m., according to a news release. The driver failed to pull over, resulting in a chase onto the westbound 10 Freeway.
A female passenger made multiple attempts to exit the moving vehicle but was pulled back in by the driver, police said. The driver eventually slowed down and let the woman leave.
The pursuit continued on and off the 10 Freeway and through streets in West Covina until that car collided with another vehicle at Barranca Avenue and Garvey Avenue. The suspect was taken from the overturned vehicle to a hospital for “non-life-threatening” injuries, police said.
Police declined to give further information on the driver, who will be held and charged with felony evading, domestic violence and false imprisonment.
Tuesday at 9:54 p.m.:
That night, a vehicle with four minors in it who were fleeing from Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies crashed on the 5 Freeway’s Calzona Street offramp, said L.A. Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott.
The LAFD responded at 9:54 p.m. and rescued three passengers trapped in the car, Scott said. All four minors were hurt and taken to a hospital.
The California Highway Patrol did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Wednesday at 5:57 a.m.:
Hours later, a police pursuit in the Central-Alameda area resulted in the death of a bystander on a bicycle.
The LAPD responded to a 5:57 a.m. call from South L.A. that someone stole a woman’s purse and drove off, an LAPD spokesperson said. About 10 minutes later, police saw the suspected vehicle, an orange GMC Yukon with three people inside it, at East 48th Street and South Central Avenue and attempted a traffic stop.
After a two-minute pursuit, the vehicle hit a male on a bicycle at East 46th Street and Hooper Avenue, the spokesperson said.
The driver tried to flee and was arrested and the two others are outstanding, the spokesperson said.