A dangerous car chase ended in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday after police say the driver hit multiple people and vehicles.
The pursuit started in Culver City after police received a report of a hit-and-run. The victim was able to document the license plate of the suspect vehicle and reported it to police. After inputting the information into their surveillance system, officers were quickly able to locate the driver.
Law enforcement believes the car was stolen out of the downtown LA area earlier in the evening and that the driver was armed with a knife. When police attempted to stop him, he drove recklessly across the city at a high speed.
At some point, the driver struck at least four people, a Culver City police officer and multiple vehicles. Witnesses told officers that the driver appeared to intentionally target pedestrians.
“Our department was receiving multiple calls of the suspect attempting to strike pedestrians,” said Jennifer Atenza of the Culver City Police Department. “So, it sounds like he was just driving around recklessly, looking for people to hit. At this point, that’s what it seems as, though I don’t know what his motivation was or what the thought process was. What we do know is he was acting recklessly and dangerously and putting lives in jeopardy in our city.”
The chase ultimately ended near the drive-thru of a McDonald’s restaurant at the intersection of Olive Street and Washington Boulevard in downtown LA after crashing into a vehicle at the drive-thru and being boxed in by officers.
All pedestrians and the officer who was hit are said to be in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators believe intoxication appears to be a factor in the incident. The driver, whose name was not released, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries. It’s unclear what charges he may face.