Driver in Chase, Fatal Accident Accused of Murder
The driver of an allegedly stolen car was booked as a murder suspect Wednesday after he led a West Los Angeles motorcycle officer on a short high-speed chase and crashed into a telephone pole, killing his passenger, police said.
Detective John Gibson said the driver, who was not identified, suffered chest injuries when the car crashed in an alley behind the 1800 block of Pontius Avenue. He underwent surgery at UCLA Medical Center.
The automobile also sheared off a gas meter, prompting the evacuation of 150 to 200 people, mostly from commercial buildings.
Gibson said the officer had stopped the driver at Santa Monica Boulevard and Cotner Avenue, ordered him out of the car and was checking the license number by radio when the driver jumped back in and sped away.
The name of the dead passenger was not immediately available.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
