Five hurt when pursuit ends in violent crash in Los Feliz
A police pursuit with a stolen car ended in a violent wreck in Los Feliz early Monday morning which left five people hurt.
The crash occurred at about 1:15 a.m. at the intersection of Franklin and Western avenues while Los Angeles police were pursuing a stolen Mercedes.
The Mercedes slammed into two other vehicles at the intersection, one of which was a L.A. Department of Water and Power public utility truck, strewing debris across the intersection.
In total, five people were hurt. The driver of the truck, an LADWP employee, was trapped and had to be cut out by L.A. Fire Department crews. He suffered only minor injuries, police said.
"We have some massive damage to a very large truck, damage like that I rarely see on that size vehicle," LAPD Meghan Aguilar said.
The driver and a passenger in the Mercedes were hospitalized as well. The passenger had critical injuries. The driver of the Mercedes initially tried to run from the scene, but was chased down and arrested by officers.
The driver and a passenger in the third car which was struck were hospitalized with minor injuries.
No LAPD officers were hurt. A loaded gun was found in the Mercedes. The circumstances that led up to the pursuit were still unknown.
The intersection remained closed as of 6 a.m.
