LOS ANGELES, CA -- A man who stole a South Pasadena police cruiser was killed today when he crashed the vehicle into a tree on a freeway transition road in downtown Los Angeles.

The incident began about 3 a.m., when a police officer saw an unattended motorcycle on the ground near the eastbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway transition to the Harbor (110) Freeway. When he got out to look for the motorcyclist, a man got into his police cruiser.

Police said the officer scrambled into the passenger seat and struggled with the carjacker but then got out and the patrol car sped off. It was unclear if the carjacker was the man whose motorcycle was found on the ground.