A suspected car thief being chased by police in Los Angeles on Monday night was killed after news cameras broadcasting the chase live on TV showed him jump out of the van on the freeway and get hit by multiple vehicles.
Police started the pursuit shortly after 8:30 p.m., when the driver of a suspected stolen van refused to pull over for Officer Drake Madison, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
The driver, who has not yet been identified by the county medical examiner, led police onto the 110 Freeway, Madison said. Shortly before 9 p.m., as news helicopters broadcast the pursuit live from overhead, the suspect crashed the van into the northbound side of the center divider near the Avenue 43 exit in Montecito Heights. The suspect climbed out of the driver’s side window while the van was still moving, according to video from news station KTLA-TV Channel 5.
The man, who appeared to be wearing a hooded sweater, stumbled backward after falling off the center divider. He fell into the southbound traffic lanes just as an SUV was passing by and was struck head-on, video from the chase showed. He was then hit by other vehicles, according to police.
Officers rendered aid until paramedics arrived. The suspect died at the scene, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. Animal control were called to the scene to remove a dog from inside the van.
The California Highway Patrol dispatch log showed that a SigAlert was issued shortly after 10 p.m. and lasted for several hours for the southbound side of traffic before eventually reopening.
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