Carjacking victim killed after being dragged by stolen vehicle during pursuit; suspect arrested
One person was killed Thursday evening during a wild pursuit in Inglewood after that person was dragged from the back of their vehicle, which had just been stolen.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances leading up to the incident, which began at around 5 p.m. In an incident report, they revealed that detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department's Gang and Narcotic Division were "conducting surveillance" on a murder suspect in the 5900 block of 7th Avenue when they saw 31-year-old Joshua Renau get into the backseat of a sedan and drive away.
When they attempted to perform a traffic stop, the suspect failed to pull over, prompting pursuit. That pursuit lasted for a short time until the suspect crashed on Florence Avenue and Haas Avenue, where Reneau exited the vehicle and carjacked another person.
But as Reneau tried to get the driver out, the driver got tangled up in the seatbelt. The suspect then took off in the vehicle, dragging the victim behind as they drove away from the police.
The pursuit came to an end inside a cul-de-sac in Inglewood.
"As he came into the cul-de-sac, I could see him dragging a body," said witness Ron Holloway. "It's beyond sad. I, of course, had trouble sleeping."
Police said Reneau crashed into several police cars and another vehicle before flipping the stolen car onto its side with the victim's body nearby.
Even after the crash, the suspect refused to surrender to authorities for a lengthy amount of time.
"He did yell out of the vehicle 'I don't want to have to shoot anybody," said Holloway. "And [the police] were like 'We don't want to either."
After two hours, Reneau surrendered peacefully to SWAT officers at about 7:55 p.m.
The L.A. County Coroner identified the victim as La Habra resident Larry Walker. He was 63.
LAPD said Reneau is being treated at a hospital and will later be booked for murder. He is due in court on Monday.
