High-speed chase ends with woman driving into ocean, swimming; Boston terriers rescued from car
OnScene.TV
A dramatic police chase ended in the ocean late Saturday night after a woman, with two dogs in the backseat, drove her car straight into the waves just south of the Venice pier.
About 11:21 p.m., California Highway Patrol officers attempted to pull over a silver BMW X3 for speeding along the 10 Freeway near Temple City Boulevard. The driver, whom authorities did not identify, took off instead and continued westbound toward the coast. CHP Officer Erik Larsen said she was driving 78 mph when officers attempted to pull her over, and even faster during the pursuit.
After running the car into the surf and getting stuck in the whitewash, the driver got out and started swimming farther offshore. More than a dozen onlookers gawked from the beach and others watched from the pier as the bizarre situation continued to unfold.
As deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department attempted to rescue the driver, who could be seen bobbing in the waves, county lifeguards discovered two small dogs in the backseat.
A parasite that sickened 10 dogs and killed another in Southern California was found in the Colorado River in Blythe, its first known presence in the state.
Video from the scene shows a lifeguard lifting one of the dogs out of the car and cradling the animal while heading back toward shore.
The driver was eventually hoisted onto a police boat and taken into custody, according to CHP records. The two Boston terriers were placed into the care of animal control, Larsen said. He did not know their condition.
Times staff writer Alene Tchekmedyian contributed to this report.
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