Teen Girl On Joy Ride Leads Car Chase, Crashes Into Car Dealership
PANORAMA CITY (CBSLA) — A 16-year-old girl on a joy ride led police on a short pursuit that ended with a crash into a power pole and into a truck parked on a car dealership lot.
Debris remained scattered in front of Ayres Auto Wholesale, at the corner of Plummer Avenue and Van Nuys Boulevard, hours after the chase ended in a crash just before 1 a.m. at the intersection.
Police say officers had tried to pull over the driver because she was driving with no headlights on, on the wrong side of the street. But the driver took off, and the chase was on.
It ended just two minutes laer when she lost control while trying to make a left at the intersection. She slammed into a brick wall and a power pole, which began to spark, before landing on a used truck that was for sale on the dealership lot.
Officers summoned the owner of the car to confirm that he was the owner, but he said he didn't know the driver.
"I have no clue on what happened," the man, who was not identified, said.
People in the neighborhood say they heard the impact of the car and the power pole.
Teen's joyride doesn't end well in Panorama City. Police say they tried pulling her over & she took off, but quickly crashed into a used car dealership on Van Nuys Blvd. Minor injuries. @CBSLA pic.twitter.com/9CER7yAfe1
— JASMINE VIEL (@jasmineviel) June 19, 2018
"There was this huge explosion and...I thought the whole building was going to collapse, tell you the truth," resident Melinda Stevens said.
Utility crews spent the morning repairing the pole.
The girl suffered minor injuries in the crash and was taken to a hospital, before being released to her parents.
It's not known yet if she'll face any charges.