CRASH ENDS 85 MPH CHASE MOTORIST TRYING TO OUTRUN COPS HITS 2 VEHICLES.Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer LANCASTER - A motorist led deputies through city streets Wednesday at speeds reaching 85 mph until his compact car hit a van and a Mercedes Benz Mercedes Benz expensive automobile and status symbol. [Trademarks: Crowley Trade, 368] See : Luxury sedan Sedan (sədäN`), town (1990 pop. 22,407), Ardennes dept., NE France, on the Meuse River. A noted textile center since the 16th cent., Sedan also has metal and brewing industries. The town became part of French crown lands in 1642. stopped at a red light and got wedged wedged - 1. To be stuck, incapable of proceeding without help. This is different from having crashed. If the system has crashed, it has become totally non-functioning. If the system is wedged, it is trying to do something but cannot make progress; it may be capable of doing a few between them. The Mercedes' driver said he saw in his rear view mirror the Honda Civic The Honda Civic is a compact car manufactured by Honda. It was introduced in July 1972 as a two-door coupe, followed by a three-door hatchback version that September. With the transverse engine placement of its 1169 cc engine and front-wheel drive, like the British Mini, the and patrol cars racing toward him, so he jumped out and ran to the curb, where he watched the Honda slam into his Mercedes and the adjoining van. ``It was pure instinct,'' said Charles Connor of Lancaster. ``You see a car coming at you in the mirror and you're stopped, you have a clear line, you get out. I can always get another car. I can't get another me.'' Neither the Honda's driver, identified as Pedro Loya Jr., 22, of Palmdale, nor the van's driver was hurt in the crash at 20th Street West and Avenue J, deputies said. The chase lasted seven minutes, deputies said. Deputies said Loya was wanted on a no-bail spouse abuse warrant and had refused to stop when a motorcycle deputy tried to pull him over for doing 63 mph in a 45 mph zone. The sheriff's motorcycle officer said the red 1994 Honda Civic passed him at 63 mph in the 400 block of West Avenue K about 10:20 a.m. When the officer turned on his emergency lights, the motorist steered toward the curb and slowed, but then struck the curb and pulled off again. The driver drove slowly along a side street, but increased his speed to 75 to 85 mph after turning onto Avenue J, deputies said. The motorcycle officer turned off his lights and siren, for fear of making the man drive more erratically, and dropped back while radioing for other patrol cars, deputies said. ``This guy was driving reckless reckless adj. in both negligence and criminal cases, careless to the point of being heedless of the consequences ("grossly" negligent). Most commonly this refers to the traffic misdemeanor "reckless driving. even without us pursuing him,'' said Sgt. Gus Risinger of the Lancaster sheriff's station's traffic unit. ``The officer felt that by ending the pursuit the driver would slow down, but he didn't.'' On Avenue J, the Honda ran a red light, almost hitting a vehicle, and a patrol car resumed the pursuit, deputies said. The Civic raced along several streets from Avenue J to Avenue I and back again, sometimes going in opposing traffic lanes, deputies said. As the Civic neared 20th Street West on Avenue J, the driver slowed, seeing that all three lanes and a turn lane were blocked, deputies said. The driver tried to maneuver between Connor's car in the northbound north·bound adj. Going toward the north. northbound Adjective going towards the north Adj. 1. turn lane and a gold Ford Windstar The Ford Windstar was a minivan produced and sold by the Ford Motor Company from March 1994 (for the 1995 model year) to 2003. The new front-wheel drive minivan would eventually replace Ford's aging rear-wheel drive Aerostar minivan. stopped right next to it. The Civic tore up the driver's side of the van and the passenger's side of the Mercedes before getting stuck. Deputies raced up and told the van's driver to move so they could get the Civic's driver out of the car. Investigators said they tracked down the Civic's owner, who told them he had loaned the car to a woman who was going to buy it. She then loaned the car to Loya. Loya was arrested on suspicion of felony felony (fĕl`ənē), any grave crime, in contrast to a misdemeanor, that is so declared in statute or was so considered in common law. reckless driving reckless driving n. operation of an automobile in a dangerous manner under the circumstances, including speeding (or going too fast for the conditions, even though within the posted speed limit), driving after drinking (but not drunk), having too many passengers in , evading a peace officer and failing to yield to emergency vehicles along with various traffic violations. Deputies said they had a blood test done and are awaiting the results. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Sheriff's deputies inspect a Honda Civic that crashed into a Mercedes Benz and van in Lancaster on Wednesday. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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