“The hour-long pursuit came to an end in downtown Los Angeles when the reckless driver in a silver Corvette slammed into another vehicle. The suspect then stumbled out of the car and was shot dead by police, officials said.”

As the driver in an hour-long pursuit fell forward in the hail of gunfire, even the on-air anchors seemed taken aback. Police had just used lethal force to subdue the subject of a high-speed chase….a chase that involved dangerously high speeds and occurred for the most part in residential areas. One thing stands out though. The man for all intents and purposes appeared to be unarmed and non-threatening.



Here’s my edited down version of the original 26 min. video showing events immediately before the crash, and then showing the officer take-down of the driver.

“The chase was being aired live on SKY5 TV. In the unedited, graphic footage, which has been posted to YouTube, the suspect can be seen exiting the car and then collapsing onto the sidewalk. The camera than zooms out and the newscaster says, “I’m not sure whether those were non-lethal rounds or not, but clearly they hit him with a whole lot of something as he tried to run from behind that car.”

Take a look at this enlarged picture of the driver. Does he appear to be armed to you?”

Still not sure? Check this enhanced close-up video of the guy exiting his car…..

I’d sure like to know what the official policy is regarding use of lethal force, because right now it appears that the number one criterion is p*ssing them off. The article below contains an abbreviated version of the original 26 min. video….apparently sanitized by KTLA News. However, the full 26 min. one is posted at the bottom.

After an all-day media blackout regarding the story on television, early this evening we saw a short version of events with an announcement that the LAPD would comment on events Monday morning.

Meanwhile….people in high places are getting their ducks in a row.

(NYDailyNews)…The driver who led authorities on a high-speed chase through Los Angeles died after he slammed into another vehicle and was subsequently shot down by police, officials said. The wild pursuit, which started in East Los Angeles, lasted for more than an hour, CBS Los Angeles reported.

Around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, sheriff’s deputies began pursuing a speeding silver Corvette for reckless driving, NBC Los Angeles reported. California Highway Patrol officers took over as the car raced through neighborhoods with its lights off. The LAPD then trailed the Corvette in multiple squad cars through South Los Angeles, according to NBC LA.

At about 10:30 p.m., the car, which was now ripping through downtown LA, smashed into another vehicle, which has two occupants. “It did look like a very violent collision, very traumatic,” LAPD Lt. Andy Neiman told NBC LA. The other car hit a fire hydrant, sending a geyser of water into the air.

Meanwhile, the driver of the Corvette got out of his car and was shot by police an undisclosed number of times. Neiman said that “something occurred that prompted the officer-involved shooting.” He added that the investigation into what happened is still in its early stages.

Paramedics were seen performing CPR to try to revive the suspect, but he was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, officials confirmed to the Daily News. The two people in the second car were both hospitalized, officials told The News. One of them suffered more serious injuries than the other and may have a broken neck.

The chase was being aired live on SKY5 TV. In the unedited, graphic footage, which has been posted to YouTube, the suspect can be seen exiting the car and then collapsing onto the sidewalk.

The camera than zooms out and the newscaster says, “I’m not sure whether those were non-lethal rounds of not, but clearly they hit him with a whole lot of something as he tried to run from behind that car.”