Photo: JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP/Getty Images
Two innocent people were killed Tuesday night when a police chase involving a stolen vehicle ended in a violent crash in Panorama City..
Reports of the persecution began coming in from the San Fernando Valley just before 8 p.m.
The police said that officers attempted to detain the driver of a black pickup truck that was reportedly stolen when the suspect suddenly sped away and began the chase.
The suspect, accompanied by several passengers, crashed into a silver sedan at the intersection of Lanark Street and Woodman Avenue.
“I heard a big bang and I ran to see if I could help people,” said a witness at the scene who spoke to ABC7 on Tuesday night. “Looks like it was too late, and I saw the gentleman get out of the Tacoma and run in that direction.”
The Innocent driver of the sedan and a passenger were pronounced dead at the scenethe authorities reported. Witnesses believe they were the only two fatalities in the incident.
The Los Angeles Police Department said that due to the suspect’s dangerous driving, officers were about to go into search mode when a helicopter arrived on the scene. It was then that the accident occurred.
“This is a very tragic incident,” said Alan Hamilton, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department.
“We try to carry out these cases in which we are in pursuit, in the safest way possible, with all the tools we have. That’s why we’re looking to get into follow-up mode as soon as we can.”
According to reports, The suspect in the chase ran from the scene of the accident, but was pursued by police officers in a nearby parking lot. They said officers used a Taser stun gun to bring him down.
The police said that a second suspect also tried to escape but was also arrested.
The researchers said thatA third person, a woman, was also taken from the van and sent to the hospital in unknown conditions.
Authorities told ABC7 that officers believe one of the suspects overdosed after ingesting a large amount of unknown narcotics after the crash.
The two vehicles involved were wrecked near a sidewalk with a large amount of scattered debris.
The incident remains under investigation.