From a suspected purse snatcher fleeing in South Los Angeles to a stolen vehicle chased in Boyle Heights, three Los Angeles-area police chases left at least five injured and one dead in the span of 15 hours .
Los Angeles is no stranger to police chases, with more than 4,000 recorded between 2018 and 2022 according to LAPD data released in 2023. About 38% of these chases resulted in a collision, and about a quarter resulted in a collision causing injury or death.
Nearly half of the people injured or killed in these chases were bystanders, like the cyclist killed during a police chase in South Los Angeles Wednesday morning.
Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The La Verne Police Department was notified of a stolen vehicle traveling in the area of Williams Avenue and Foothill Boulevard Tuesday at 4 p.m., according to a Press release. The driver failed to stop, leading to a pursuit that entered westbound Highway 10.
A female passenger attempted several times to exit the moving vehicle, but was restrained by the driver, police said. The driver eventually slowed down and let the woman out.
The chase continued on and off Highway 10 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 transported from the overturned vehicle to a local hospital with “non-life-threatening” injuries.
Police declined to provide further information about the driver, who will be detained on charges of criminal fraud, 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 crashed. on the Calzona Street off-ramp of the 5 Freeway, according to Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Erik Scott.
LAFD responded to the collision at 9:54 p.m. and rescued three passengers trapped in the car, Scott said. All four juveniles were injured and transported to a local hospital.
The California Highway Patrol did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
Wednesday at 5:57 a.m.
Eight hours later, another police chase in Central-Alameda resulted in the death of a bystander on a bicycle.
Los Angeles Police responded to a call at 5:57 a.m. from South Los Angeles after a suspect stole a woman’s purse and left, an LAPD spokesperson said . About 10 minutes later, police encountered the vehicle, an orange GMC Yukon with three passengers, at the corner of East 48th Street and South Central Avenue and attempted a traffic stop.
After a two-minute pursuit, the vehicle struck a Latino man on a bicycle at East 46th Street and Hooper Avenue, the spokesperson said.
The driver tried to flee and was arrested, while the two other passengers are in suspense, she said.
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