4 Hurt as LAX Police Vehicle Crashes During Pursuit
An airport police vehicle pursuing a carload of burglary suspects struck a utility pole Friday morning in Inglewood, critically injuring a pedestrian. Three officers were also hurt.
“It was a very serious accident,” said Lt. Mike McBride of the Inglewood Police Department. He said firefighters had to cut the wreckage apart to free the Los Angeles International Airport police officers. Los Angeles police captured the suspects.
One airport officer was in serious condition Friday evening, and the other two were being treated for injuries that officials said were not life-threatening.
The identities of the four victims were not released. McBride described the bystander only as a male pedestrian who was hospitalized in critical condition.
The chase occurred about the same time as an unrelated police pursuit that ended at the Beverly Center near West Hollywood.
In the Inglewood incident, LAPD officers said they began chasing the car near the airport about 11:30 a.m. LAPD Officer Don Cox said the airport police sport utility vehicle joined the pursuit, heading north on Aviation Boulevard.
The SUV hit a concrete light standard at Aviation and Arbor Vitae Street, overturned and toppled the pole. LAPD officers captured the fleeing suspects without incident nearby, at Aviation and Manchester boulevards, Cox said.
Police provided no information about the suspected burglary or what prompted the chase.
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