Cabdriver Arrested After Chase, Crashes

A police pursuit of a taxi that injured four people in downtown Los Angeles ended in the Westlake district Tuesday when the taxi hit two parked cars, then a light pole, police said.

The cabdriver, who suffered injuries, was arrested on James S. Wood Street, said Officer Jason Lee. The driver, Ricki Kahn, 55, of Santa Monica will be booked on suspicion of felony hit and run and driving under the influence, police said.

Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics treated the four people who were in a car when they were struck at 8th and Figueroa streets shortly before 7 p.m., a department spokesman said.

Police Sgt. Richard Greenwood said the four were treated for injuries that were not life threatening.

The chase began after the initial collision when the cabdriver fled west on 8th Street. Then he drove onto James S. Wood and hit two cars, Lee said. Then the cab struck the pole at Hoover Street.