After about an hour, the driver spun out and was promptly captured.

So what attracts so many to this?

Cinnamon McNeil, who runs a Twitter account dedicated to police chase notifications in Los Angeles, said she once posed that question to her followers.

“A lot of them said, ‘It’s because I know the area and it’s fun to watch it and anticipate their moves,’” she said.

And then there’s morbid curiosity.

Mr. Lynn, the helicopter pilot, suggested that car chases tantalize us with the real chance of something awful happening. (A handful of deaths result each year, according to a review by NBC4 News.)

“It’s a fascination with the unknown,” said Mr. Lynn, who is also a former police officer. “It’s live. It’s raw. You don’t know how it’s going to end. Is he going to pull over? Is there going to be a big crash?”

One ending you are unlikely to see, however, is a successful getaway.

Once a helicopter has locked onto a pursuit, it’s rare for suspects to evade capture. In 12 years, Mr. Lynn said he has seen it happen maybe three times.