In a span of 15 hours, three separate police chases in the Los Angeles area have left at least five individuals injured and one bystander dead. These incidents highlight the ongoing issue of police pursuits in the city, with a significant number resulting in collisions and injuries.
The first pursuit began on Tuesday at 4 p.m. when the La Verne Police Department received a report of a stolen vehicle in the Williams Avenue and Foothill Boulevard area. The driver refused to pull over, leading to a chase that eventually entered the westbound 10 Freeway. During the pursuit, a female passenger attempted to exit the moving vehicle multiple times but was forcibly restrained by the driver. Eventually, the driver slowed down, allowing the woman to escape. The pursuit continued on and off the 10 Freeway and through local streets in West Covina until it ended in a collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Barranca Avenue and Garvey Avenue. The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital. Charges of felony evading, domestic violence, and false imprisonment will be filed against the driver.
Later that same evening, at approximately 9:54 p.m., a vehicle carrying four juveniles evading Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies crashed on the Calzona Street offramp of the 5 Freeway. The Los Angeles City Fire Department responded to the scene and rescued three passengers who were trapped in the vehicle. All four juveniles sustained injuries and were transported to a local hospital. The California Highway Patrol has not provided any further details regarding this incident.
In the early hours of Wednesday at 5:57 a.m., another police pursuit in Central-Alameda resulted in the tragic death of a bystander who was riding a bicycle. The Los Angeles Police Department received a call from South L.A. reporting a purse theft, after which the suspect fled the scene in a stolen orange GMC Yukon with three passengers. Police encountered the vehicle approximately 10 minutes later at East 48th Street and South Central Avenue and attempted a traffic stop. A two-minute pursuit ensued, ending in a collision between the vehicle and a Latino male on a bicycle at East 46th Street and Hooper Avenue. The driver attempted to flee but was apprehended, while the other two passengers remain at large.
