Chase suspect flees, passenger suffers severed leg while trying to escape after crash in Koreatown

Monday, January 13, 2020
KOREATOWN, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Authorities cordoned off a section of Koreatown Monday morning as they searched for a suspect following a brief police chase which ended in a crash, causing the passenger of that car to suffer a severed leg.

The chain of events started around 2 a.m. when officers attempted to pull over the possibly stolen vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
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Instead of pulling over, the driver took off and crashed into several other vehicles, abandoning the car within a few minutes in the area of Eighth and Berendo streets, police said.

"The passenger attempted to jump from the vehicle and during that time the driver became involved in a traffic collision. That caused severe injury to the passenger," said Captain Ahmad Zarekani.
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The injured passenger was left behind and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Authorities said the suspect was awaiting surgery in stable condition.

Police believe the outstanding suspect is unarmed and said there was not a threat to the public.
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