A pursuit of a driver suspected of being under the influence ended in a three-car crash in Chatsworth, and two arrests. Toni Guinyard reports for Today in LA on Wednesday, March 16, 2022.
A police pursuit of a driver suspected of being under the influence ended in a three-car crash in Chatsworth early Wednesday morning, and two people detained by police.
According to a spokesperson from the Los Angeles Police Department, officers out of the LAPD West Valley Division spotted a possible DUI driver in a dark blue BMW early on Wednesday morning.
Officers attempted a traffic stop of the BMW, but the driver of that BMW continued on, triggering a pursuit through the San Fernando Valley.
When the driver began traveling at high speeds, the watch commander terminated the pursuit.
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The BMW continued at that high rate of speed east on Chatsworth Street, until it collided with a silver Nissan at the intersection of Chatsworth and De Soto Avenue.
The Nissan was travelling southbound on De Soto when it was struck by the BMW, and the Nissan then careened into a third car, a gray Acura. The collision sent debris scattering across the intersection.
The driver of the Nissan was transported to the hospital after complaints of pain after the crash. The driver of the Acura, who was on his way home from work, says he's lucky to be alive.
"My car is totaled," he said. "I somehow got out and I’m walking around and I don’t think I got too badly injured.... I don’t know how I’m alive quite frankly."
The suspected DUI driver in the BMW was taken to the hospital with a fractured hip. A passenger in the car was also transported. That driver and a passenger, ages 19 and 20, were both detained by police.
No arrests had been made as of 12:38, as the two people in the BMW deal with their injuries. They remain in police custody.
Entrances from many of the side streets near DeSoto Ave. that lead to the intersection are closed while police investigate the crash.
