Mid-City wild chase, crash nearly takes out cameraman

MID-CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A wild high-speed chase ended in a violent crash on a Mid-City street - and nearly took out a freelance cameraman who was just a little too close recording the action.

The stolen vehicle suspect led authorities on a pursuit Tuesday night starting in Beverly Hills and heading over Los Angeles surface streets at speeds that hit 70 mph.

The speeding Honda CRV collided into a stopped vehicle at Crenshaw and Wilshire boulevards and went careening down the street.

Freelance photographer Victor Park was on a nearby street corner hoping to get some footage as the chase passed him by.

Instead, the spinning vehicle headed right for him.

He's also a marathon runner, and he wasted no time sprinting out of the way.

"When I saw him crash through the viewfinder of my camera - that loud bang of the crash - that's when I figured I had to run," said Park, who works for Loud Lab News.

Park was not injured, neither was the suspect, but one person in the other vehicle was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The suspect was arrested at the scene.

Since he was turned in the other direction as he jumped out of the way, he didn't realize how close the car had come until he viewed aerial footage of the chase later. When he finally saw it, he realized how lucky he had been.

"I feel like I got a second chance," Park said. "There's a lot of people telling me, go play the lottery, because someone's watching over you."