Three people suffer minor injuries when police pursuit ends in multivehicle crash

Three people suffered minor injuries Tuesday morning when a pursuit that began in Venice Beach ended in a multivehicle crash in Westchester, police said.

The incident began about 7 a.m., when officers requested a license plate check on a vehicle near Penmar Park in Santa Monica, Lt. Michael Soliman of the Los Angeles Police Department told reporters at the scene.

The license plate check determined that the car had been reported stolen in Bakersfield, but by the time officers were notified, the vehicle had left the area. Shortly after 7:30 a.m., officers spotted the car again at North Venice Boulevard and Pacific Avenue, which triggered a pursuit, Soliman said.

The vehicle sideswiped a car at Lincoln Boulevard and 83rd Street and then crashed into at least two other cars near the intersection of Lincoln Boulevard and Manchester Avenue before coming to a stop, Soliman said.

Three people, including a woman in the car involved in the pursuit, were taken to hospitals. A man was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto, felony evading and hit-and-run, Soliman said. None of the cars’ occupants were identified.

Several bicycles were found in the back of the stolen vehicle. Authorities are investigating whether they were stolen from Venice Beach, Soliman said.

An investigation is underway after the end of a police pursuit resulted in a a multi-vehicle crash in Westchester Tuesday morning.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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