Suspects caught after wild pursuit in South LA
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A wild police chase through the streets of South Los Angeles Wednesday night ended after tires were shredded and sparks flew as police units disabled a white van.
Police tried to pull over the older model Chevrolet Astrovan, which had been reported stolen, at approximately 8:30 p.m., but the driver failed to yield. The suspect then drove erratically at high speeds without headlights on surface streets. The van drove onto sidewalks at least twice, drove into oncoming traffic and narrowly missed several vehicles.
Just before 9 p.m., a police unit bumped the van in an unsuccessful PIT maneuver at an intersection, but the driver of the stolen van kept driving.
At 9:03, a police unit successfully used the PIT maneuver on the van on a side street, turning it around. The van lost at least two tires, but turned around and kept driving with sparks flying from underneath the vehicle. The van then appeared to run over a small white dog in the street minutes later, believed to be on 87th Street between Wadsworth and Hooper avenues.
At 9:07 p.m., a CHP unit successfully pitted the van, which swerved and nearly drove out of it, before the police car hit it again near the intersection of Manchester and Central avenues. Several CHP units pulled up. The driver and passenger doors of the van opened. At least two suspects were promptly taken into custody.
The condition of the dog was not immediately known. The LAPD tweeted at 9:48 p.m. that the dog had not been located. At 10:05 p.m., there were reports the dog, identified as Gordo, had been found alive and was being rushed to City of Angels Veterinary Specialty Center in Culver City, where he is receiving emergency medical care.
Eyewitness News viewers who wish to donate and help Gordo and his family with veterinary expenses can visit www.accessanimalhospitals.com.
Sign in to your PayPal account and type Gordo in the identification line.
