3 recent police pursuits lead to serious crashes on Bay Area roads; law enforcement weighs in
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Dramatic new video shows a police chase through Oakland city streets and how it ended. Officers called off the pursuit and minutes later the driver slams into another car.
The victim from that incident is one of three in a matter of days that started with a police chase and ended with a serious crash.
From Oakland to Pittsburg and a deadly crash Friday morning in San Rafael, these cases are raising questions about balancing safety on our roads with safety in our communities.
From the sky, the California Highway Patrol aircraft captures images of a driver speeding in East Oakland.
The CHP says on March 20, officers tried to pull over a suspected drunk driver because he ran a red light.
They say they chased him for a minute before backing off "out of concern for public safety."
About four minutes later---the driver crashes. The suspect got out of the car, but then police detained him.
A young child ended up going to the hospital with severe injuries.
MORE: 23-year-old killed in Pittsburg crash with stolen car was set to marry former Cal football player
The CHP released a statement writing:
"The suspect continued driving recklessly despite the absence of CHP or other nearby law enforcement personnel, briefly resumed normal speeds, and then resumed driving recklessly."
Jim Dudley is a retired deputy chief with San Francisco police department. He weighed in on police pursuits.
"It's horrible the child is hurt," said Dudley. "The suspect is dui, and he continues to flee or continues to drive recklessly even after the pursuit has been terminated it goes to my point that even if officers do discontinue the pursuit, in some cases the suspects are driving like this with or without lights and sirens behind them.
Early Sunday morning, a 23-year-old woman---Vilamalia Polina Tuipulotu was killed in Pittsburg.
Investigators say the driver of a stolen car was trying to get away from officers reaching speeds up to 100 miles per hour before crashing into her blue SUV during a police chase.
Friday morning in Marin County, the CHP says a sheriff's deputy tried to stop a reckless driver in San Rafael.
Two minutes into the pursuit, the car hit a tree and the driver was killed.
ABC7 News asked a law enforcement expert if there's a need to be concerned about police pursuits-especially if someone could get hurt.
"I feel so sorry for the victims of the families, but if police are no longer allowed to pursue, I can only imagine things will get worse and more dangerous on the streets," said Dudley.
"We need to switch the emphasis from police being the bad guy here and look more sternly at the fleeing suspects."
