Long Beach police pursuit ends in violent crash, with suspect calling for help from vehicle
A high-speed police pursuit in Long Beach ended in a violent crash Monday evening that reportedly trapped one suspect in a damaged car, from which he called out to officers for help.
Four people — including two suspects — were hospitalized with injuries.
At 5:27 p.m., police attempted to stop a possibly stolen vehicle near 4th Street and Cerritos Avenue in a neighborhood near downtown Long Beach.
The male driver failed to yield to officers and was involved in a traffic collision near 4th Street and Cherry Avenue, less than a mile from the start of the pursuit, according to Hannah Ortiz, spokesperson for the Long Beach Police Department.
A preliminary investigation of the incident found that the suspect, pursued by officers, ran a red light while traveling eastbound on 4th Street at Cherry Avenue and was struck by another car traveling southbound on Cherry.
“The impact of the collision caused the suspect vehicle to collide with three unoccupied parked cars,” Ortiz said.
Immediately after the collision, the driver of the allegedly stolen vehicle exited the car and fled on foot. The man was found near the 200 block of Florida Street and taken into custody.
The passenger of the suspected stolen vehicle, stuck inside the car, yelled out to officers, saying he couldn’t get out of the car because he was hurt, KTLA reported. The man was extricated by Long Beach police, and he along with the driver were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries to the upper body.
The driver and passenger of the car that was hit — which was not involved in the pursuit — were also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver and the passenger of the allegedly stolen car are awaiting booking charges, pending medical clearance, Ortiz said.
The department declined to provide the identities of the victims and the suspects; the investigation is still ongoing.
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