String of grisly crashes stemming from pursuits raises safety concerns across Southland

With yet another grisly crash stemming from a police pursuit early Monday morning, just one in a string of recent events ending in a similar fashion, residents have begun to raise concerns over the safety and necessity of these incidents. 

Authorities pursued a carjacking suspect through the Southland before the suspect jumped a curb and crashed into a light pole in Cerritos, causing the car to burst into flames as they bailed on foot. 

Though Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies were able to take the suspect into custody, the damage left behind still lingers out front of Ritika Chand's business. 

"We just came in and saw all the debris and we were so shocked," Chand said. 

This is just the latest of a number of pursuit crashes that Southern California has seen in recent weeks, some even resulting in death. 

On Friday, California Highway Patrol officers were pursuing an armed robbery suspect that again ended in a fiery crash in La Habra, when the suspect collided with an uninvolved vehicle. The suspect was fatally shot by pursuing officers after allegedly brandishing a knife. 

Earlier that same day, a minutes-long pursuit ended in Encino as the DUI suspect slammed into two homes, leaving them yellow-tagged and inspected for structural damage. No one was injured in this incident.

Last week, two innocent people were killed when a driver fleeing from officers, who had allegedly just given up pursuit of their vehicle, slammed into their car in Panorama City. 

This series of events, just a few of the many that have resulted in death or destruction in recent months, has residents up in arms over their own safety. 

Jim McDonnell, the former Sheriff of Los Angeles County, says that contrary to public belief, pursuits are often discontinued when they reach a point where the public's safety is put in danger. 

"More often than not, the public isn't aware of the number of times that pursuits are discontinued," McDonnell said, noting that when it comes to stolen vehicle pursuits, many agencies have given up pursuing those suspects. "A stolen car, generally speaking, in California, that's a misdemeanor. Will the suspect be filed on ultimately for that crime? In many cases, no."

Daron Wyatt, a law enforcement consultant for Anaheim Police Department, concurs with McDonnell, saying that officers are forced to consider risk versus reward for stolen vehicle pursuits. 

"We have seen the vehicles are significantly damaged," Wyatt said. "The owner who we're trying to get the vehicle for ultimately gets the vehicle back in an unstable condition."

Any level of the chain of command can call of a pursuit, the men said. Often when pursuing officers on the ground are pulled back to de-escalate the situation with the helicopter remaining overhead to track the suspect. 

"I would say in the last ten years that has become much more of a common practice."

McDonnell says that based on statistics he's seen, nearly 90% of pursuits are initiated for non-violent crimes, which is why many departments have opted to pull back on them.