Reckless Driving Rampage in Stolen Prius Ends With Crash Into Tree

The driver narrowly missed pedestrians near a school before the crash in the west San Fernando Valley

The driver of a stolen Toyota Prius was arrested Thursday morning after speeding through intersections and narrowly missing pedestrians, including children near a school, on busy streets in the San Fernando Valley.

The pursuit driver, identified by police as a gang member, weaved across lanes at high speed and made several turns in front of other drivers at crowded intersections before crashing into a car and tree. 

Authorities had been tracking the vehicle on the southbound 5 Freeway near the 118 Freeway, then on streets in the west Valley before the driver slammed into a car at an intersection. A Los Angeles police officer then rammed the side of the Prius with a patrol car, but the driver continued in the damaged vehicle for about two blocks before crashing into a tree on a sidewalk.

Debris from the vehicle, including a bumper, was scattered across the intersection at Roscoe Boulevard and Willis Avenue. 

Officers used their patrol car to block the driver, then took him into custody.

Aerial video showed paramedics at the scene of the crash. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured. 

Officers began following the Prius due to an earlier report of a stolen vehicle. The Prius' registered owner told NBC4 he reported the vehicle stolen about three weeks ago.

Aerial video of the pursuit showed the driver making a series of dangerous maneuvers on busy streets. 

He stopped on the wrong side of the road to let a passenger out of the vehicle, then turned right from a left turn lane across a crowded intersection. A few blocks away, a woman and child who were holding hands stopped in a crosswalk just before the speeding Prius drove past, again on the wrong side of the road.

The Prius sustained damage when the driver clipped a sport utility vehicle that was traveling through an intersection. Seconds later, the Prius was rammed by in the driver's side door by a police cruiser before it jumped a curb and crashed head-on into a tree.  

The passenger was in custody for questioning, according to police. 

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