A piece of debris from a crash during a Lakewood pursuit damaged the door of a nearby house early Wednesday. No one inside was injured, according to ABC7 Los Angeles, which reported that debris also spread across the intersection.
The car caught fire after striking a tree, though the cause of the fire was not known. The suspect was taken from the wreckage and transported to a hospital in unknown condition, ABC7 reported. Officials had not released further details about the suspect or the chase.
The pursuit began at about 12:09 a.m. Wednesday after officers responded to a report of a stolen car, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, as reported by ABC7. It lasted about a minute and ended near Candlewood Street and Premiere Avenue, where the driver lost control and hit a tree.
Recent pursuits and safety concerns
Other Los Angeles-area pursuits have also ended in crashes. In August, a driver fleeing police in Los Angeles struck parked cars, damaging one vehicle’s roof before being arrested, according to the Los Angeles Times. A separate pursuit in South Los Angeles ended in a crash that injured at least five people in a residential neighborhood, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.
California has been described as leading the nation in bystander deaths connected to police pursuits, while lawmakers pursue legislation intended to improve pursuit safety, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says its pursuit policy sets out how pursuits should be managed with safety and state-law compliance in mind; the policy is available through the department’s public manual.
