The thrilling spectacle of police chases is difficult to match in movies and video games. However, in real life, pursuits are only a mechanism for pointless deaths and arrests that could be accomplished by safer means. At least ten people were killed in police chases across the country last week. Four of those killed were neither law enforcement nor fleeing the police.
Six deaths occurred in Southern California, the spiritual home of the televised police chase. The first fatal pursuit involved a stolen U-Haul truck in San Clemente, according to the Associated Press. Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department attempted to pull over the stolen vehicle last week Monday. The suspect fled, and the deputies pursued the vehicle. The U-Haul truck collided with a Mazda SUV just a half-mile into the chase. The crash killed the SUV’s driver, 53-year-old Maria Ramirezahmad. Three other women inside the Mazda were hospitalized in critical condition.
The heartbreaking cost tied to police chases
Another fatal chase happened in Pomona, California, last Wednesday and also saw innocent people killed. According to KCBS, a domestic violence suspect returned to the scene of the crime, rammed a police car and the Pomona Police Department began a pursuit. The suspect crashed into a car carrying Marc Anthony Trejo and his girlfriend, Jennifer Alejandra Loera Zarco. She was pregnant, days away from her due date. The crash killed the couple and their unborn child. Tony Trejo, Marc’s father, said:
“It hits different when it’s your own son and I really don’t have the words for it, but I don’t wish this on anybody. They were so excited. They had plans, they had projects. They were both very artistic, Jennifer and Marc, and yeah… that’s where the story ends.”
A third fatal pursuit took place in Anaheim, again involving the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies claim that they spotted an Infiniti sedan driving erratically. KABC reported that the driver turned off his headlights and took off when police attempted to pull the suspect over. After the deputies lost sight of the fleeing driver, he ran a red light and crashed into several vehicles. The Infiniti hit a red Toyota Camry, killing its driver, Alberto Viveros, a 70-year-old great-grandfather. Andrew Sanchez, a passenger in the Infiniti and a 14-year-old, was also killed.
The fatal chase crashes outside of California
The gruesome week wasn’t isolated to Southern California. Alabama State Troopers chased a Hyundai Elantra in rural Pike County last Friday. The car eventually left the road and hit a tree. The driver and two passengers, who weren’t wearing seatbelts, were ejected from the Hyundai. A third passenger was wearing a seatbelt. The crash killed all four people.
To round out the path of death and destruction, Fort Worth police claim that a driver fled after hitting another car on I-35 and refused to pull over. The fleeing driver, without headlights, hit a second car. The driver then exited the interstate, left the road, and crashed.
Under most circumstances, chases occur only when police officers initiate a pursuit. There’s no reason for an innocent person to die over someone else’s busted taillight in today’s day and age. With automated plate readers and police helicopters, there are far safer methods of tracking vehicles from a distance. Many jurisdictions are attempting to severely limit pursuits or the traffic stops that often are a precursor to fatal police interactions.
