High-speed chases involving criminals in Southern California are part of daily life for law enforcement.
Rather than surrender and face the consequences, criminals often choose to risk their lives and those of the public in their effort to get away. Sometimes, these dramas play out on live television and streaming.
2024 was no exception. KTLA’s news helicopter, Sky5, delivered live coverage of several chases that ended with unfortunate outcomes.
405 Freeway Rampage
Early in the morning of May 17, a woman in a white van fled a traffic stop in Santa Monica, starting one of the more bizarre chases in recent memory .
Sky5 footage showed her attempting to ram police vehicles, leaning out the window and shouting at officers.
At one point, the fleeing driver turned around and chased one of the patrol vehicles down a street and tried to crash into it.