PURSUITS BECOME COMMON PRACTICE.Byline: Orith Goldberg Staff Writer The high-speed pursuit across the Valley on Friday that ended with the death of a 77-year-old woman was rare only in its tragic conclusions. Whether being broadcast live by TV helicopters chasing overhead or ending quietly in the dark of night, pursuits are all too common in L.A. In the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Police have reported 107 pursuits since Aug. 31, said officer Don Cox. In the last month, the California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Highway Patrol highway patrol n. A state law enforcement organization whose police officers patrol the public highways. was involved in 11 pursuits in the Valley and had 84 in Los Angeles County, said CHP CHP Chapter CHP Combined Heat and Power CHP California Highway Patrol CHP Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Turkish: Republican People's Party) CHP Chemical Hygiene Plan (OSHA) CHP Community Health Plan officer Frank Sansone. Police spokesman Lt. Horace Frank said officers are bound by certain procedures during pursuits to try and maintain the public's safety. He said officers don't initiate pursuits, suspects do, and police have a responsibility to apprehend them. ``We're not going to chase someone down a residential street going 80 to 90 mph ...,'' he said. ``We tell (officers) if it gets dangerous, you have got to back off the pursuit.'' Friday's pursuit started when an officer noticed something suspicious and the suspect fled, driving away at speeds up to 100 mph. Frank said officers appeared to follow proper procedures during the chase. Officers alerted enough units about the fleeing suspect, and a helicopter was above tracking the suspect's movements. ``The key is to have enough resources and an airship airship, an aircraft that consists of a cigar-shaped gas bag, or envelope, filled with a lighter-than-air gas to provide lift, a propulsion system, a steering mechanism, and a gondola accommodating passengers, crew, and cargo. on top,'' he said. When the suspect, driving a stolen Suburban, collided with the woman's Mitsubishi, it took 30 to 40 seconds before the officers arrived on scene, Frank said, because officers had backed off to reduce the risks associated with a high-speed chase. After the crash, ``one unit chased him, and one went to the victim's vehicle on fire,'' Frank said. |
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