A tragic end to a police pursuit on the 110 Freeway occurred Monday evening when a grand theft auto suspect was fatally struck by a passing vehicle. According to CBS News Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Police Department began the pursuit near downtown LA, which led through Chinatown before reaching the northbound 110 Freeway towards Pasadena.
As the chase unfolded, the suspect attempted to escape on foot. "The suspect stopped next to the median near Mount Washington and jumped out van,” CBS News Los Angeles reported. He unfortunately fell into the southbound lanes, where he was struck and killed by at least one vehicle, as per ABC7. Following the accident, all lanes of the freeway were closed for several hours.
The incident, which occurred shortly before 9 p.m., prompted an extensive closure and investigation. According to KTLA, officials issued a Sig Alert announcing "all lanes of traffic on the northbound 110 Freeway north of Avenue 43 were, along with all southbound lanes south of Avenue 52" were closed. The freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol, was reopened shortly before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
In a particularly distressing twist, a dog was also found inside the abandoned van. There was no immediate word on the condition of the animal, which prompted a response from animal control: "While there no other people in the van, animal control was called to the scene to remove a dog from inside the van,” KTLA reported. The name of the deceased suspect has not been released, and information regarding the original theft of the van was not immediately available.
Impact on the traffic in the area was significant, with NBC Los Angeles noting that both northbound and southbound lanes saw closures near Highland Park due to the incident. The investigation and cleanup efforts after such events serve as a grim reminder of the unpredictable and often tragic outcomes of vehicular pursuits on urban roadways.
