3 L.A. police chases in less than 24 hours result in multiple injuries, one death
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 over 4,000 recorded from 2018 to 2022 according to LAPD data released in 2023. Approximately 38% of those pursuits 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, like 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 driving in the Williams Avenue and Foothill Boulevard area Tuesday at 4 p.m., according to a news release. The driver failed to pull over, resulting in a chase that entered 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 exit.
The pursuit continued on and off the 10 Freeway and through local streets in West Covina until a collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Barranca Avenue and Garvey Avenue. The suspect was taken from the overturned vehicle to a local hospital for “non-life-threatening” injuries.
Police denied to give further information on the driver, who will be held on charges of felony evading, domestic violence, and false imprisonment.
Tuesday at 9:54 p.m.
Later Tuesday night, a vehicle with four juveniles fleeing from Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies crashedon the 5 Freeway’s Calzona Street offramp, according to Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesperson Erik Scott.
LAFD responded to the collision at 9:54 p.m. and rescued three passengers who were trapped in the car , Scott said. All four juveniles were injured and taken to a local hospital.
California Highway Patrol did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Wednesday at 5:57 a.m.
Eight hours later, another police pursuit in Central-Alameda resulted in the death of a bystander riding a bicycle.
Los Angeles Police Department responded to a 5:57 a.m. call originating in South L.A. after a suspect stole a woman’s purse and drove off, a LAPD spokesperson said. Approximately 10 minutes later, police encountered the vehicle, an orange GMC Yukon with three passengers, at East 48th Street and South Central Avenue and attempted a traffic stop.
After a two-minute pursuit, the vehicle crashed into a Latino male on a bicycle at East 46th Street and Hooper Avenue, the spokesperson said.
The driver attempted to flee and was arrested, while the other two passengers are outstanding, she said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
