2 Hospitalized After Covina Pursuit Ends In Violent Crash

January 25, 2011 7:30 AM

COVINA (CBS) — A 45-minute pursuit from Pasadena across the San Gabriel Valley ended with a violent collision in Covina just before midnight Monday.

The chase began around 11 p.m. when the driver of a Volkswagen sedan committed minor traffic violations and refused to stop for police, authorities said Tuesday.

The crash at Barranca Avenue and East Puente Street, about a half-mile north of Interstate 10 in Covina, occurred at about 11:45 p.m. Monday.

The Volkswagen collided broadside into a Mazda, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The driver of the Mazda suffered a fractured neck and a broken pelvis, Pasadena police Lt. Thomas Delgado said.

The driver who instigated the chase struggled with police before he was arrested on suspicion of felony failure to yield, Delgado said.

He was under police guard at a hospital, Pasadena police Sgt. Roger Roldan said just after 3:30 a.m.

It was not known if the man was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

2 Hospitalized After Covina Pursuit Ends In Violent Crash

Cindy Campeau

Thank you for the follow up on the victim

carrie

yeah darn a fractured neck.. ouch.. I thought I had neck pain. I’m glad she survived though – hope and pray she heals fast. And he can rot in prison for all I care. P.O.S.D.A.M.

CARRIE W.

YEAH READ IT “Wallace said there is evidence Angorita was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.”
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/driver-victim-recovering-after-chase-collision-in-covina.html?cid=6a00d8341c630a53ef0148c7ff4067970c

nunnie

methican lmao love it!!!

Carrie w.

they must have deleted it. The METHICAN comment

Den

Texas police would have stopped this idiot before he crashed into someone. They do what ever it takes to stop a fleeing coward. Ram his car, shoot out the tires, etc. Our police and highway patrol are like scared whimps. Last night they had many chances to stop the coward. It was just a matter of time he crashed into another car. I think we were waiting for the inevitable, I was. Our police need to be more aggressive.

Jose

Yes Because Texas Police Dont Care About Peoples Safety Unlike The L.A.P.D ..
Marcy

I’m surprised that when they did get him to stop, prior to the accident, that they didn’t block him FRONT and back, to keep him from taking off again! Wonder why they didn’t do this?
Brian

Den… Texas doesn’t have the 9th circuit!

pete

yeah its a mexican running away funny but when some white guy shoots at innocent people in arizona what do you have to say about that.

Carrie W.

I SAID GOD’s GOING TO HEAL THAT CONGRESSWOMAN AND GUESS WHAT? HE IS !
Cindy Ward

I’m white. I call them white trash!

Evelyn

and you are just another racist B1tch! Who cares if he is Hispanic, White, Asian , or Black shut up and get with the fact that people were injured. Thank God nobody died. I do think this could of been stopped alot sooner.

P.S. Not all Latinos/Hispanics are Mexican you dumb b!tch.

OG

Well said, Evelyn. In Los Angeles, there are also Salvadorians, Guatemalans, Argentinians, Colombians, etc…

julia and mark

we are so shocked… seriously when we were watching the chase last night, it looked like no hope for the victim, we are very happy to hear that she has survived that terrible crash, we will still pray for her to get back on her feet and heal all her broken bones.. and as for the suspect… well he can go to hell!!
luvy

I AM SOO ANGRY TO THE COPS!!! they had the chance to get him off the road but they DID NOT!!!

carrie

It was not known if the man was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Probably both. I’m guessing he’s a METHICAN

All colors allowed

why the need to say methican…who asume he was on drugs or alchole?? Bottom line he ran ….He was scared…Maybe he had a warrant….Maybe he had no license…go figure the first word of coming out of your mouth was methican…whats that half meth head half latino??? Can you be any ruder???

l carrigan

here we go again,worried about the as#$%le that caused this.I have worse words than methican,so quit with the sympathy for the methican and think about the INNOCENT VICTIM, do you get it?
punisher

Go scratch your head w a loaded gun. Finger firmly pressed on the trigger.
Z

the only people worst than the suspect are racists
Nick

Nice! Protect the D#$% that almost killed someone. Shes talking smack about a piece of S#^% and you pull the race card. Dont feel bad about the person he hit but only the bad things said about this prick.
Debra

Because of all of the hoop law regarding people’s (and especially those of colr) rights, law enforcement officers are unable to do their jobs. Otherwise, this little Methican would have been stopped and dealt with in Pasadena, rather than be allowed to drive like a mad man through the streets of our cities. But no, we need to treat people with respect, after all, heaven forbid, they are being “targeted!” Methican, Whitican, Blackican, Asianican, doesn’t matter. If you break the law, you should suffer the consequendes. I was relieved to hear that the innocent driver did not die as a result of this Methican’s reckless disregard for the law, our highways and the people we share the road with. I think that he should pay, not our tax dollars, for the damages caused as a result of his reckless behavior. He had to have been under the influence or wanted by law enforcement – why else would a person not adhere to the request of law enforcement? HELLO?!? This is a free country and we all have choices but we need to remember that we have to be willing to accept the consequences for our choices and/or ill-behavior. I hope that justice prevails, but then again, given the “walking on egg shells” that seems to occur regarding “equal rights”, it probably not occur this year – or next for that matter!
Debra
templecityresident

Blame the Pasadena police they called off the pit manuver that the covina police were set up to do when the driver was on that long strech of road with no civilians or traffic But pasadena wanted to back off and let him go until he stopped that is called STUPID he needed to be taken out
Jared

Why did she say Methican?

http://www.lapdonline.org/top_ten_most_wanted

That’s why, and that’s just the top ten. If you’re gonna play the race card, at least face the truth, 9 out of 10 isn’t just a coincidence.
cw

read the following link:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/driver-victim-recovering-after-chase-collision-in-covina.html?cid=6a00d8341c630a53ef0148c7ff4067970c

Nikki Anderson

@ carrie. the nationality, creed, race or color makes ABSOLUTELY NO DIFFERENCE here. NONE. nor does whether he was driving under the influence. HE RAN FROM POLICE!!!! wrecklessly at that and in the end-he almost killed someone. I watched this unfold last night and I went to bed with a heavy heart. The broadsided car could’ve been any of us or our families. Life can be taken from u in an instant.

Carrie W.

you don’t think I was praying for the victim the whole time ?? I watched this whole pursuit – I was praying there would be no victim – but the pursuit ended as soon as I went to use the bathroom. I hit the record button though.
Just so you know – I was distraught all night long – because in my gut I felt that the victim had not survived and I was praying that God would prove me wrong. I’m glad God did cause I didn’t sleep until way after the 4:30 am news.
So excuse me for having a slight however twisted small sense of humor all though I wasn’t really kidding about the meth because I watched the whole thing including the fist stop (the suspect) and his actions which told me the dude just be on meth. I hate to admit it but I know a little too much about the subject. I won’t touch it though.

ES

You’re plain ignorant.
dumb carrie

carrie, you’re stupid.

Just the Facts

@templecityresident….You have no idea what you are talking about. Pasadena PD requested Covina to do a PIT over and over again. Covina was going to do it but their policy is to only employ it under 35 MPH. Suspect never went slow enough for that to happen. Just Stating the Facts.

gmon

Carrie your an idiot

Frank Ortega

Carrie: ?? I feel for the innocent driver who got hurt, but your despicable language y racial tone is really NOT necessary. For all we know the other driver could be from Spain, regardless that does NOT make him more or less guilty. Shame on you Carrie!

islanderOC

Spanish, Mexican, Venezuelan, Martian…who the hell cares??? Pop a cap on that P.O.S.’s head and save the taxpayers some money. We don’t need to support his sorry behind. For what? So he can do it again when he gets out?
CW

okay, i already took that into consideration, but meth doesn’t mix with Spanish well..
Besides that, just because my name is Carrie doesn’t mean I am not hispanic or latino – but if my name was Jose or whatever I bet y’all wouldn’t be making negative inferences.
It’s just a stupid joke – although it’s at least half true.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/01/driver-victim-recovering-after-chase-collision-in-covina.html?cid=6a00d8341c630a53ef0148c7ff4067970c

Carrie W.

sometimes.. Very rare though.

Clay in OC

The police had this suspect surrounded and stopped. They drew down on him and then backed off. I don’t understand why they did not block him in when they had the chance. Why not shoot out his tires or block him off while he was parked just a few feet away from 5 patrol units? The suspect predictably took off and then minutes later broadsided this innocent person after running no less than 10-15 previous red lights. I am glad to read this morning that the innocent person is alive but this incident should trigger a change in tactics by law enforcement. BTW, why does local media continue to interrupt local news to broadcast these events?

Chass

Where did you get all this details?The article doesn’t say anything unless you were there as a witness,just curious.

Brian Lynch

It was all shown on TV, several news stations aired the chase live.
TT

if you watched the news coverage – thats where he got the details – i saw it too… And Im glad the victim is ok – but i feel very sorry for the dog that ran off because he was scared and now has no idea where he is and cant find his way home…

Angry Pointer?

I watched the person on TV too. The cops blew it. They should have boxed the driver in or flattened his tires or shot him at that point.

Their lack of good judgment will forever affect the life of an innocent victim.

Perhaps if the person had tried to run a cop off the road or shot at them they would have brought out 350+ cops and stopped this guy.
ANGRY!!!

We watched it on TV too – did anyone notice but my husband and I that the police paid NO ATTENTION to the car that was hit after the crash was over!!! It was a good couple of minutes before anyone walked over to that car to see how that driver and/or passengers were doing! Imagine how scared that person must have been!!! AND it took several minutes for an ambulance to get to the scene….why so long??? I do not know what police department was in charge at the end, but whichever one it was they should be ashamed of what they did and what THEY CAUSED!!! Not stopping the car when they had the chance has resulted in the life of an innocent bystander being changed forever…..THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THAT!!!!!!!

CarmaDogma

Their first response was to address the threat. They went over and at one point early on I thought they were talking to someone but they walked away and then we got reports that the person was “unresponsive.” If your neck has been broken and you are paralyzed of course you will be unresponsive. I thought the person was a goner because even when fire rescue showed up everyone was walking around in circles not particularly sure what they should do. On the air news coverage ended before they got to the person.
Fact Checker

Yeah, the initial medical care for the innocent victim was really poor. This was a violent traffic collision with a person trapped. The cops were useless onscene, just like any medical aide situation they’re involved in. But LACoFD 154 should have had MANY more resources onscene quicker other than just a Medic Squad, Engine Company and Ambulance. Looking at it from above, it appeared the cops and firefighters saw signs of an obvious fatality, so I thought that’s why they didn’t do much. Even the TV News thought it was a fatality so they were staying wide and not showing the impact on a replay. After quick triage, they should be attending to the most serious patient first. The suspect was conscious and breathing, a lower priority to the Mazda driver. AT A MINIMUM, a firefighter should have tried to enter the vehicle, check vital signs, communicate with the patient and stabilize the drive’s neck. Many times I’ve been the one who’s had to enter and do just that. LA County knows they didn’t do their best on this one.
http://zerrcute.wordpress.com Zerr Cute

I noticed that too. There were several officers on scene. Why couldn’t anyone help that poor woman faster? When they finally did get to the car, it seemed like they assumed that she was dead and kind of pansied around until the ambulance arrived. The man who hit her should obviously shoulder the blame but there is absolutely no excuse for the police and their untimely response to her and the fact that they could have apprehended the suspect before things unfolded in the tragic way that they did.
MadAsHell

@ ANGRY, i couldnt have siad it better. i too was shocked that it took so long. and the news cast made it sound as if the person hit was dead. I am very glad the person/persons hit are alive, and hopefully pull through. I do however, feel very BAD for the dog that was not only probably hurt, but shocked, scared, and lost… now will more than likely be euthanized because the idiot decided to start a police chase with the poor thing in the car!!! this stupid selfish individual, reguarless of race ethnicity whatever, needs to rot in hell.
walker

I completely agree with you, on the time to get to that innocent person. Cops were not concerned
Just another EMT

@ANGRY!! – If you watch the video then u’ll see that the police officer went and looked into the window of the victim first. And even with doing that the only purpose that serves is to tell whoever is coordinating everything the condition of the patient and if there is more than one. The cops arent trained in medical treatment, their job is to make sure the suspect is apprehended and if he had a weapon that its taken away. As for the ambulance, they dont just show up immediately on scene, they werent part of the chase. Once there was a collision thn there was a need for an ambulance, at that point the call is given to the Fire Department which from there has to go to the Ambulance company dispatch which then has to wake up the crew and then they respond to the accident. They responded just fine for the accident.
Just another EMT

@ Fact Checker – The cops were not useless on scene, look at what i wrote above, the cops job is to apprehend the suspect and secure the scene so that it is safe for the fire department and the ambulance to show up and do their jobs. And it wasnt just Engine and Squad 154 there w/one ambulance, Engine 85 came with Squad 151 and a second ambulance. And so you know they WERE attending to the victim first, the first ambulance on scene and the firefighters were working on extricating the patient, obviously if they extricate they cant have somebody INSIDE the car while doing this, that is if someone can even get in anyway. The second ambulance were the ones assigned to the suspect. And @ Zerr Cute, this all is for you also.
Just another EMT

@MadAsHell – The news has no idea of what is going on, they are seeing the exact same thing you are watching, listening to them saying things about the patients condition is not the smartest thing to do. 1) They arent trained to do that 2) Theyre in a studio somewhere commenting on what they see from above, not right there next to the patient trying to help her.
Just another EMT

Now with all that said i do agree that the guy driving is a complete idiot and deserves his injuries, i just wish it woulda been a pole or something else he hit that wasnt a innocent person. Aside from that i posted all this because im tired of seeing the people who willingly put themselves out there for the community constantly being badgered for “what they should have done” or “what they could have done” and their best efforts made out to nothing. No, what could have been done is what WAS done. If you think you could do any better of a job then be my guest, grab a uniform and we’ll see how you do.
Lateshow1

The persons neck was broken …you can touch them ….if she became paralyzed the cops are on film and the city would have to pay millions of dollars …..think it through
Brian

First of all “ANGRY,” the police have to make sure the suspect is contained to continue to save the other driver and their own lives! If they rush to assist the innocent driver first, the other guy could come out with a gun and kill them all. We know he STILL wants to get a way, right!!! Agencies have policies they have to follow and it all comes down to civil liablity. If the 9th circuit would back the good guys and say no more suing from the bad guys, go ahead and shoot at the fleeing felon and start backing the play of the good guys, maybe the police can do the job they should. Policys are based on liability. Ya, I agree… lets ram the guy that’s doing 90 or lets shoot the guy as he turns a corner. The liability will come in when the police shoot at the guy and instead of hitting the 7″ wide target (His Head) at 90 mph, the bullet hits a kid on the street corner. The kids and parents are going to sue. Or the police ram the 90 mph vehcile and send the now, “out of control bullet” into a restaurant of people. You think they won’t sue? The police have policies and they will do everything “They Can” to take care of the situation. I think a good job for you, “ANGRY” person, is start with YOUR legislature and make fleeing from police an instant felony with a mandatory 50 years to life sentence on top of the other crime they committed. Then start legislation on charging these people with attempted homicide when they hit a car or person. This ALONE will start making people think twice about running. They only get away about 7% of the time. Angry, don’t worry, you arn’t the only “Angry” out there. You can find other Angry’s to help you.
Big Red

The police caused it?? Are you kidding me.

The drive should stand trial for attempted murder. He should not be called a “suspect”. What happened is clearly on video. Fast track him to hard time then post it pubically.

These criminals who think it fun to lead police on a high speed chase because they know they are going to jail need to know that if one person gets hurt, even a scratch, they will do a “min max” term.

Common Sense

Don’t understand how the police became the bad guys here. As far as everyone’s input on movie tactics, most departments don’t allow them. By blocking the suspect, you are creating a crossfire situation if a shooting was to go down. Now the pit maneuver cannot be successfully done if the cars are traveling at a high rate of speed. Shooting out tire? This isn’t the wild west or a movie once again. Bottom line, all the officers are also putting themselves at risk trying to safely apprehend this animal. The real one to blame here is the suspect.

Julian

Why is it called common sense, if it is really not that common? Of course the idiot suspect is the main cause of this incident. That does not mean you can not hold the authorities to some accountability. They chased this person for over an hour through most of the San Gabriel Valley. The driver even stopped for over 5 minutes at one point. Block the vehicle! Crossfire situation? You knew this was possible when you signed up! Multiple police agencies were involved and they all failed. I too watched most of this pursuit on T.V. and was sad that the victim could of been me or a loved one. The police could of took control of the situation multiple times and avoided this. It is common sense!

gnutt

the police should have shot the assho.e when they had a chance!

kill’em

NICELY SAID gnutt…. save the taxpayers some bucks and get rid of this loser.. why let him sit in jail… just shoot his a.s.s. now.

Jon

The police should have used their vehicles to box the suspect in when he stopped for a brief moment. The cops on foot could have provided cover if it were necessary. Instead, they hid behind their squad cars and let the suspect drive off. I was watching this on the news and you knew something bad was going to happen once the suspect was given a second chance. The police are to “protect and serve” and I don’t mean their pensions. Protect and serve the innocent. When you wear the badge, you have to take some risks.
The innocent driver that was broadsided has a fractured neck which could mean paralysis from the neck down. I hope not. This accident could have been prevented.
Ardy

I Agree, why not shoot out his tires when he was stopped!!! The police could have easily prevented this accident from happening, I saw it live on TV, and they could have prevented this, instead they backed out! What happened to the “protect” in “protect and serve?”
moviebizman

Finally someone mentions the most important factor here. (Thanks Clay) The police really messed up here. They had enough vehicles on the scene to blockade the midsized Passat when the idiot stopped. Instead the officers got behind their vehicles with guns drawn and allowed him to take off again. No excuse for not surrounding the vehicle when they had a chance to. (and I’ve read the replies of wanna be idiots who think they know police protocol. they are within their training to blockade the vehicle. If there was no unit in the front one could have passed the stopped Passat and u turned and blocked him head on while another unit taps the Passat from the rear essentially blocking the vehicle from further movement. I have a sibeling who is a military Lt. Colonel and has taken these same training tactic courses along side police, secret service, and FBI. They did not do what they should have done when the vehicle was stopped. This is why that lady (the victim) is now in the hospital.
I was there

The cops couldnt take this guy down right away, they had no idea if he was armed and dangerous or not or wat else he had in the car. I was there and i can tell you everything was done to help the victim of the other car, its unfortunate she was the one to get hit but im glad she’s doing well and going to pull thru.

drew

I watched this last night. The police chould have avoided this violent collision. They had him pulled over and had plenty of time to shoot out his tires. However, they backed off after they walked up what seemed to be causally becuase this guy acting really erratic inside.

All I’m saying is that they had him pulled over and let him take off when he was not right in the head…

Joe Bloggs

I agree. This chase should have been terminated when the suspect. Just glad the innocent crash victim wasnt worse off.

sherina

Im so glad the victim is alive I saw it live and my heart was cryin out to the victim…..thank u lord for sparing this victims life…..police took to long to get to her aid and I didnt like that at all…..
John

Clay, I agree…I watched the chase on the news as it was happening. They had plenty of time to bring cars in infront of the driver and ensure he couldn’t take of again.
It was so scary seeing the innocent person, just doing her own thing, get hit. I will pray for the speedy recover every night uttil I hear the innocent person is ok. Life is so precious.
Alfredo

Either way you look at it, no one died and that’s what is the most important. Yeah… Police should have done this and should have done that, but the most important thing was that one was killed.

Brian Lynch

While I’m sure the driver of the car that was hit is grateful that she’s still alive, I’m also sure that she would have preferred that the cops stopped this thing when they had a golden opportunity, instead of letting the guy drive away, crash into her, and break her neck along with a bunch of other bones. She may still be alive, but her life may have also taken a permanent change for the worse last night.

http://topsy.com/losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/01/25/2-hospitalized-after-covina-pursuit-ends-in-violent-crash/?utm_source=pingback&utm_campaign=L2 Tweets that mention 2 Hospitalized After Covina Pursuit Ends In Violent Crash — Topsy.com

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO, Quintin Washington. Quintin Washington said: RT @KNX1070: 2 Hospitalized After Covina Pursuit Ends In Violent Crash http://bit.ly/gWKtGh [...]
NoBama

All you Monday morning quarterbacks make me sick. You sit your fat a$$es on the couch and second guess the police from the comfort of your safe home! Put on a uniform an go do the job before you tell someone what they should or should not do in a stressful situation. Most of you can’t decide what shirt to wear, let alone what to do in a life or death situation. I would prefer you just shut up and keep watching life from your backside.

Patrick

Exactly! Stupid people. Too much x box. “shoot his tires out” Yeah right easy. Too much tv. Ain’t that easy kids.

carrie w.

Well I’m no expert cuz I have yet to go to a shooting range – but I know a little bit about physics and I’m almost certain depending on what “caliber” is used on what “type of tires” that the bullets might not shoot out the tire but probably bounce off of it.
I could be wrong?

dana

This is well stated and I couldn’t agree more! These people have NO clue how hard it can be to be in a horrible situation like that!

Julian

I thought our local policeman were trained for such situations! When you sign up don’t you expect things like this to happen. Should we stop expecting our local authorities to serve and protect us. The idiot suspect is definitely at fault but law enforcement may also be held accountable.
Jared

They are TRAINED to be in those kind of situations! It’s their job for christ sake! Horrible situation?? PLEASE, The situation of driving behind someone with 4 spotlights on him??? And whoever said shoot his tires out ain’t that easy? yeah it is, when he was sitting there and a cop was standing 10 feet away, it’s easy. I’m a moderately experienced shooter and I can hit a 3 inch target from 20 feet. I guarantee you I could pop a tire from 10 feet, if you can’t, then you shouldn’t be allowed to carry a badge. Cops blew it big time on this one.

A Citizen

LOL I agree

Me

If you would have seen this crash last night like I did you would have sworn the driver who was t-boned had been killed, it was horrific. The fact that no one was killed should not diminish the fact that this person’s lack of concern for anyone else constitutes attempted murder. I am all for police taking drastic measures to get these jackholes stopped. Since everyone knows through watching these pursuits that police agencies take a passive approach just lets everyone know that they can run until the wheels fall off. If someone were waving a gun around in public police would take a shot to stop them, but when it’s a car used as a weapon through traffic endangering others they sit and watch. What’s wrong with this world? Everyone is so worried about lawsuits and the rights of criminals they are paralyzed to take any action. Instead of thinking it could have been worse, the mind set of “think of the worse possible outcome” would serve us all better to both stop and put away selfish criminals such as this guy last night.
cooper

Glad to read that the victim survived, although a fractured neck and pelvis sounds serious. I hope there is some kind of follow-up on the police’s part so we can understand why they did not stop the suspect sooner when they had the chance.
Mr. Studio City Troll

Here it is at YT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTHvV_GwGeM
John

Covina Police Department did a very sloppy job with this incident. Firstly, this pursuit had been on-going for about an hour before the suspect entered Covina Police Department’s jurisdiction. When the vehicle first stopped, it was the perfect opportunity to take the suspect out of the vehicle; but there was only one (ONE!) unit following the suspect… never have I seen this before! Moreover, the first police officer was within a few feet from the driver’s window; but then he backed off! Not until two to three minutes later did additional units arrive! Unbelievable! Nonetheless, I had a relative who was rear-ended a few years back in Covina. When Covina PD responded, the police officer claimed that a report wasn’t needed; however, my relative pressed him to write the report (the Covina PD officer did it with a bad/lazy attitude). In summation, Covina PD sucks!

Dave

John,
I was watching it live… when the guy first stopped, within seconds there were 2 more cars, and about 30 seconds later, a 4th one rolled up.
His drivers window was down… why they didn’t tase him and yank him out is beyond me… Also, why they just followed him even when it first started at 10 MPH… get in front of him and box him in! at that point, they had no suspicion that he was anything but a DUI…
When he was stopped, the 1st officers had him covered… Cars 3 and 4 could have come around and pinned his car to the curb, and none of the damage would have been done… When I went thru the academy, we were taught how to STOP suspects, not how to follow them…

NoBama

So John, your psychic and can tell the dirt-bag in the car was unarmed? Are you willing to walk up to his window and tase him? I think might have gone to the academy, but never finished or worked the streets. Otherwise, you would not be able to write such drivel, you’d be carried by six.

Sam

Carrie – racist. With all the uproar over police shootings…this should have been one of those.
surfbum

Shoot out the tires?! You people watch too much TV. Cops aren’t trained to “shoot out the tires” or block in a fleeing vehicle with their own cars. Maybe you think they should be, but those actions bring about all sorts of other dangers that probably don’t even occur to you. Leave police tactics to the police (you know — the people actually DOING the job you only watch on TV and movies), and don’t bring Hollywood fantasy into your opinions.

Brian Lynch

Well perhaps they should be trained to do more in these car chases than follow at a safe distance and let the driver’s actions dictate when it ends? So that way the rest of us don’t have to worry about getting killed by a guy speeding through the streets and ignoring red lights? Because, as this case shows, that’s certainly a danger caused by the police taking a completely passive approach.
Clay in OC

The car was stopped, it should have ended there. As far as the comments about armchair quarterbacking, I would like to hear your side of this situation if that was a family member of yours getting T-boned by this piece of garbage.
lapuente girl

thank god someone with a brain in there head. everyone is so quick to blame the police and not the suspect. what the hell is wrong with people. but to you kudos my friend you are 100% correct

Vanessa L.A.

Wow! I’m so HAPPY that the victim survived. I watched this on t.v. last night and I really thought someone had died. What an idiot, he was really struggling and did not want to get out of the car. He was for sure on drugs it took about 4 police officers to get him out of the car. Glad the victim is o.k. banged up but alive. God Bless you all who were involved except the crazy guy on drugs.
David R.

Why the police did not shoot out tires when the dude stopped during the chase is simply amazing, This accident was caused by the police and hope the victim sues the illiterate pursuing officers, Protect & Serve is not their motto, as is only painted on their vehicles for your viewing pleasure. CBS/KCAL did not continually update the viewers on where this chase was taking place. Like going to the chopper for the location more often would have been nice. Listening to the reporters was very annoying and may have made the victim aware of her surroundings.

krg

Actually the stations did a good job of saying exactly what streets they were on but I doubt the woman in the car was listening to KCAL while driving down the street. The spotlights from the helicopters might have given her a clue but since the street seemed to have a lot of trees she may not have seen it, or realized what was happening.

I also found it interesting that this nutjob signaled every turn he was making.
Dawn

I too watched it unfold. It seemed there were at least 2 times that this chase could have been stopped when he pulled over. I know they can’t shoot out the tires. They can only use their guns if their life is in imminent danger as in self-defense. But couldn’t they have blocked him in with all of those police cars?
Because he broke the law, this poor woman has a shattered pelvis and fractured neck and her life will never be the same!. When they stopped him and he pulled over he was moving around in the car like a crazy person. He should go to jail for life! He is a threat to society! He was definitely intoxicated on something as erratically as he was driving.

punisher

All of you criticizing police tactics don’t know anything about officer safety and or department policies. you are likewise unaware of the fact that officers are prevented from acting in a certain capacity because pricks like you attempt to sue them for everything. shoot out the tires? Really? Then what happens if the ricochet hits a bystander? The officer gets sued for negligence and loses his job. this profession requires quick thinking unlike most of your jobs. next time you type or open your mouth criticize the criminal not the people you call on to save your ass.
cooper

It seems that the victim survived. But what is the extent of the injuries? Fractured neck, I hope the victim is not paralyzed. And who is going to pay for her surgery and likely months of rehabilitation?
I do not see why it is so hard to shoot out the tires. The cop is five feet away from the tire. Or why not have a spike strip in the trunk of your vehicle that you could deploy easily.
Hopefully out of this comes some type of adjustments to police policy regarding high speed chases.
chaner

does fractured neck means the person isnt paralyzed ?
Elia

The Victim is the Cousin of a good friend of mine…She has been transported to UCLA and now in ICU.

shawna

i send my sympathy for your cousin . How is she doing ? and for all the other comments about the police and the idoit . they should of stoped the chase along time ago when he was stopped in the middle of the road and they didn’t. Not sure what was going through there mind at the time cause all this could of been avoided .. oh and i like how the news states that the only thing that is facing this idiot is FELONY INVADING . to me there should be alot more charges
chaner

Can u please tel us if she’s gonna be ok. Hoping she’s not paralyzed.
Dawn Penque-Artinger

Oh I thought it was USC Medical Center or so they said. My daughter (was taken to USC) was nearly killed in a crash with a DUI Driver in Feb 2010 suffering a ruptured spleen, lacerated liver, ruptured bladder, two skull fractures and 3 fractured facial bones and two ankles.

stacey

I watched this crash and it was horrible! so happy no one died. however I see a dog run out of the mans car I wounder what happend to that poor puppy having to deal with all that stress of the chase and then the crash?

Liizy

My friend has him he’s with a happy family. Thank God. We called the police thinking it was the female victim but it was his. The police officersaid to take him to the pound or keep him because the guy will be in jail for a long time.

Mark

Im glad nobody died also. It was very disturbing to watch. As for the dog, I was stunned when it came out from the guys car, It just ran so fast out of there. I was like whoa! Poor doggy.
Scott

Liizy, Channel 2 was reporting tonight that the dog is going to be turned over to the pound…
Please say this isn’t the case and that your friend is going to keep him…the poor dog’s been traumatized enough going through that horrific crash…
Liizy

I’m so upset the police took him away from us last night at 8:30pm because supposedly the family was looking for him. As of 5 minutes ago he is still at the human society and has not been picked up. I cannot believe they wont give him back to us. We are calling everyday to try and get him back if he doesnt get picked up.

Mari

Scott….yes that is the case Im so sad because I was the friend who was going to keep him….we will know today if I could go pick him up from the humane society because the family has not claimed him ;(

DSJ

Why question the police? Just like many of you; I saw the whole thing unfold. On TV Unfortunately, it’s easy to say, “shoot the tires.” There are rules of engagement, although the officer felt he was in danger, it didn’t warrant to fire any shots. During the time that the perp was stopped, the danger that was more toward himself; he was acting erratically inside his vehicle. The job of the police is to ensure that they minimize the injury or death during difficult situations. The accident involving that innocent driver is definitely upsetting. I pray that the innocent driver recovers. As for the perp, lock him up; throw away the keys; throw away the lube.

Brian Lynch

Allowing somebody to speed through residential streets, ignoring traffic signals, for an hour is not “ensuring that they minimize the injury or death during difficult situations”. If anyone should be injured or killed in this situation, it should be the guy the cops are chasing, not some poor schmuck who is just minding her own business and trying to get home.

DFlo

I don’t understand why law enforcement did not blocked, put a bullet through those tires either. I hope those officers who got out of the car and ran to the vehicle also get spoken to, getting out of the car and running to the vehicle with no protection was really stupid!