Evening commuters in northern Los Angeles County got an unexpected show on Thursday when a California Highway Patrol pursuit sliced through Newhall, trailing a car that officers say is wanted in a deadly Pomona shooting.
Witnesses reported seeing a black Kia peel off the 5 Freeway and head into the Lake Hughes Road area north of the Golden State. The chase did not stay tucked away in the hills for long. It eventually pushed onto Elizabeth Lake Road in the Antelope Valley, drawing a caravan of patrol cars behind it.
According to NBC Los Angeles, the black Kia left the 5 Freeway at about 6:15 p.m. and continued north along Lake Hughes Road through a remote stretch of Newhall. Nearly 30 minutes later, the pursuit shifted into a more residential section of Elizabeth Lake Road. Video from NewsChopper4 showed at least four CHP vehicles locked in behind the suspect car. NBC Los Angeles reported that the vehicle is wanted by the Pomona Police Department and is believed to be connected to a deadly shooting in Pomona. No other details about the case or those involved were immediately released.
Why pursuits are risky and how agencies respond
Chases like this, jumping from freeways to canyon roads to neighborhood streets, are exactly the kind of scenario that keeps traffic commanders up at night. Pursuits that cross jurisdictions can quickly put everyone in the area at risk, from passing drivers to nearby residents to the officers racing to keep up.
The Los Angeles Times has reported that California agencies have logged thousands of pursuits in recent years and are testing tools such as GPS tracking units and grappling devices to bring fleeing vehicles to a stop more safely. State data cited by the Times shows that a small but steady share of these pursuits ends in crashes and, in some years, multiple deaths, which is why agencies are increasingly looking for ways to cut the danger without simply letting suspects vanish.
What officials say and what to expect next
CHP officials told reporters that the vehicle is wanted by Pomona police and is believed to be tied to the deadly Pomona shooting, but they did not immediately release information about any arrests or injuries tied to Thursday's pursuit. The details about how the chase ended remained under wraps as of Thursday night.
NBC Los Angeles noted that the story is still developing and that authorities are expected to release more information as investigators dig into both the pursuit and the underlying Pomona homicide case. Local residents looking for updates will likely see them come through formal briefings or news releases from the Pomona Police Department or CHP as the investigation moves forward.
