A high-speed chase through Pacoima wrapped up Wednesday morning with a crumpled car, a squad of LAPD units crowding the street, and one driver in handcuffs after a crash in the north San Fernando Valley, according to police. A brief clip of the aftermath quickly made its way online, showing the kind of scene neighbors in the Valley know all too well.
According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, LAPD officials said the driver tried to ram a patrol car during the pursuit before crashing. The station's video shows multiple police vehicles boxing in a disabled car and officers moving in to detain a person at the scene.
How the department reviews pursuits
Per the LAPD's Pursuit Review Unit, every vehicle pursuit goes into a centralized review pipeline, where the department tracks pursuit reports and compiles statistics across divisions. The unit also oversees training and technological tools intended to reduce danger, including GPS tagging and approved tire-deflation devices designed to end chases more quickly and with less chaos.
Why chases draw scrutiny
Advocates and victims' families have been pressing for stricter pursuit rules after a rise in crashes tied to police chases. CBS Los Angeles reported on a Southern California analysis that found 46 pursuit-related deaths in 2020, a number that has fueled ongoing debate about when officers should call off a chase if the risk to bystanders starts to outweigh the need to immediately catch a suspect.
The LAPD confirmed the arrest but had not released the driver's name or any potential charges as of Wednesday, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. Local detectives and the department's pursuit-review staff are handling the follow-up, and officials typically share more details once preliminary investigative steps are complete.
