Los Angeles police chase: Suspect fatally struck by at least 2 vehicles after jumping out of driver-side window

A man was fatally struck by at least two cars while being chased by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department.

A man was fatally struck by at least two cars while being chased by officers with the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspect, who was driving an allegedly stolen vehicle, jumped out of the moving vehicle before he was hit by at least two cars.

Los Angeles police chase: Suspect fatally struck by at least 2 vehicles after jumping out of driver-side window (Pexel - representational image)

LAPD’s Newton Division initiated the chase. It seemed as though there were no other passengers in the van, according to KTLA.

The suspect tried to jump out of the moving van’s driver-side window on the 110 Freeway, landing on the center divider. He then fell into lanes of oncoming traffic before being hit by motorists in southbound lanes. The van, however, remained on the northbound side of the freeway.

Police attempted life-saving measures on the suspect with both sides of the 110 Freeway, near Avenue 43, closed. Cops tried to revive him while waiting for paramedics with the LA Fire Department to arrive.

A shocking video of the incident has surfaced on social media.

The suspect died, and was later covered with a sheet by first responders as he lay in lanes of the freeway. Both north and southbound lanes of traffic were at a standstill as the scene remained active. Cops advised motorists to avoid the area if they could.

The US and its police pursuits

A report by Kera News earlier this year claimed that deaths from police chases are at an all-time high in the US. Such pursuits and their consequences came into special focus in cities like Fort Worth.

The report added that the vast majority of states do not even have a system for tracking police pursuits. This is the responsibility of local police departments, each of which has its own method for authorizing, categorizing and tracking pursuits.

To find out the total number of pursuits in a state, residents would have to go through not just a time-intensive but also an expensive process – gathering information from each department through open records requests. “Some people, sadly, in the law enforcement industry still to this day, do not understand the real nature and the ability to help that data has on their law enforcement practices,” said Alex del Carmen, a criminologist at Tarleton State University. “And they don’t appreciate the importance of data collection … the importance of having data interpreted, analyzed and implemented.”

The report stated that a review of state policies revealed that even in states where tracking does happen, their processes are not always created equal. According to del Carmen, states that have rules in place to track police pursuits must follow and regularly enforce them.

“It should be a mandate,” del Carmen said. “And what that means is that the public should expect from police agencies that they adhere to principles, guidelines and the law the same way that they enforce it on the public.”

Meanwhile, the US Park Police now has a less restrictive policy when it comes to police pursuits. Officials in the Trump administration brought about the change as part of its stepped-up crime effort in D.C.

An August 25 White House executive order said that park police can use all applicable laws to maintain public safety and public order. “The Director of the National Park Service shall, subject to the availability of appropriations and applicable law, hire additional members of the United States Park Police in the District of Columbia to support the policy goals described in Executive Order 14333,” the order said. “The United States Park Police shall ensure enforcement of all applicable laws within their jurisdiction, including the Code of the District of Columbia, to help maintain public safety and proper order.”