Three Police Chases in Los Angeles Area Lead to Injuries and Fatality
Over a 15-hour period, three police chases in the Los Angeles area resulted in multiple injuries and one fatality. The incidents, which involved a suspected purse thief, a stolen vehicle, and a fleeing driver, highlight the ongoing issue of police pursuits in the city.
The first chase began Tuesday at 4 p.m. when the La Verne Police Department was notified of a stolen vehicle driving in the area. 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. The chase continued on and off the 10 Freeway until a collision with another vehicle. The suspect was taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
Later Tuesday night, a vehicle with four juveniles fleeing from Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies crashed on the 5 Freeway’s Calzona Street offramp. Three passengers were trapped in the car and had to be rescued by the Los Angeles City Fire Department. All four juveniles were injured and taken to a local hospital.
Eight hours later, another police pursuit in Central-Alameda resulted in the death of a bystander riding a bicycle. A suspect stole a woman’s purse and drove off, leading to a two-minute pursuit. The vehicle crashed into a Latino male on a bicycle, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver attempted to flee and was arrested, while the other two passengers are outstanding.
These incidents underscore the ongoing debate over the safety of police pursuits. According to LAPD data released in 2023, over 4,000 pursuits were recorded from 2018 to 2022. 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.
The Los Angeles Police Department has a policy that governs the use of force, including the use of deadly force. The policy states that officers should only use deadly force when they reasonably believe that the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officer or others. The policy also requires officers to consider the safety of innocent bystanders when using deadly force.
The use of police pursuits is a complex issue with no easy answers. There are legitimate concerns about the safety of both officers and the public, but there are also concerns about the potential for excessive force and the disproportionate impact on communities of color. The Los Angeles Police Department has taken steps to reduce the number of pursuits and to ensure that they are conducted in a safe manner, but more work needs to be done to address the underlying issues that lead to these chases in the first place.
