At least two people were killed and two police officers injured in a series of traffic incidents across Los Angeles late Friday and early Saturday morning.
The events — which occurred on a night of foggy weather — included police chasing a suspected ambulance thief, a collision between a Porsche and an LAPD patrol car and a crash on the 210 Freeway that authorities said saw a driver ejected from their vehicle and hit by another motorist.
The mayhem began Friday evening when Los Angeles police officers pursued a suspect driving a stolen Los Angeles Fire Department ambulance in the San Fernando Valley, according to an LAPD spokesperson.
Around 9:25 p.m., LAFD reported the ambulance had been taken in the 18400 block of Lemarsh Street in the Northridge neighborhood.
At least five police cruisers tailed the ambulance on the westbound 210 Freeway, according to footage from a KTLA 5 News helicopter. The California Highway Patrol joined the chase and eventually apprehended the suspect and recovered the ambulance, according to the LAPD spokesperson.
The circumstances surrounding how the person took control of the ambulance were not immediately clear. The ambulance is assigned to a Granada Hills fire station.
Several hours later, farther south on the 210 Freeway, a person was ejected from their car and driven over following a violent two-car crash in Glendale, a CHP spokesperson told KTLA. That traffic crash occurred at around 1:20 a.m. on eastbound 210 near Lowell Avenue.
One of the two cars involved in the crash reportedly drove away from the scene. No other details were available.
Around 2 a.m., a person was killed in a single-vehicle crash near West Whittier Boulevard and Garfield Avenue in East Los Angeles. Shortly after officers arrived, the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. No other details were immediately available about the incident or the deceased driver.
Less than an hour later, two LAPD officers were injured after a Porsche struck their police cruiser, according to City News Service. The crash occurred around 2:55 a.m. at Sunset Boulevard and Parkman Avenue, an LAPD spokesperson said. The officers were taken to a hospital with injuries reported as not considered serious.
Thick fog cloaked much of Los Angeles overnight, resulting in reduced visibility and dangerous driving conditions.
A Pineapple Express storm is expected to bring several inches of rain and high winds into the region between Tuesday and Saturday, possibly causing flooding, mudslides and other hazards.
The treacherous driving conditions comes as the year-end holiday travel season is ramping up.
A record 10.2 million Southern Californians are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home, according to the Auto Club of Southern California. The estimated number of travelers is nearly 3% higher than last holiday season.
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