Suspect reportedly jumped from moving car
A man allegedly stole a California Highway Patrol vehicle earlier this week and led officers on a chase that ended when he jumped from the speeding cruiser in the Lancaster area, suffering fatal injuries.
According to the CHP, officers began chasing the suspect at about 11:44 a.m. Tuesday in the area of the Golden State (5) Freeway and Hasley Canyon Road.
Details on how the suspect obtained the patrol car were not immediately available at press time. There were no reports of an officer being injured, according to the CHP.
Officers chased the car to state Route 138, where the man jumped from the vehicle after one of the rear tires went flat due to a spike strip. Media crews tracking the chase from above reported the car was going roughly 70 mph when the man jumped.
The patrol car then crashed into a pole. An officer could be seen performing chest compressions on the suspect after the crash.
Paramedics were sent to the scene on SR 138 near 90th Street West at about 12:30 p.m., and the man was taken to a hospital, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
KNX News reported from the scene that the man died at the hospital. CHP officials would not immediately confirm the report.
The suspect's name was not immediately available at press time.
