That’s How to Do It : In four-county chase police demonstrate textbook restraint and poise

A 50-mile, 80-minute chase across Southern California freeways and neighborhoods could have ended quite differently. There might have been a long list of civilian and police casualties in addition to the Pomona policeman who was wounded at the beginning of the drama on Thursday morning.

Problems associated with police chases didn’t materialize because of the professionalism and care exercised by officers from various agencies who joined to handle a volatile situation.

During the ordeal, TV viewers gasped as a live camera caught images of a gunman leaning out of a pickup truck to fire at police as a hostage drove.

After the four-county chase came to a halt in a Santa Ana cul-de-sac, the gunman tried to escape on foot, firing wildly and climbing neighborhood walls before finally giving up.

One Santa Ana viewer had the ultimate experience of the immediacy of live television: He saw a neighbor on the screen and realized that the drama was happening right outside his own house.

In showing the restraint and poise they did, police from several local departments, the California Highway Patrol and three sheriff’s departments gave a textbook demonstration in how to protect the public while carrying out a dangerous mission.

It has not always been so. A number of chases in recent years have ended in tragedy. Last fall, several in Los Angeles, Riverside and Ventura counties resulted in death for innocent passersby. U.S. Border Patrol chases have come under intense criticism, especially after six people were killed in a crash in Temecula last year.

The key is to not allow a chase to pose more danger than that presented by an armed, violent suspect. This one was handled just right.