At least two people were hospitalized Friday when a pursuit involving a stolen vehicle ended in a fiery crash that took down a traffic light and light pole in Long Beach.
Video of the dramatic scene captured a gray Dodge sedan crashing into a white pickup truck near the intersection of Artesia Boulevard and Long Beach Boulevard. The force of the crash was so powerful, that one of the vehicles slammed into a light pole near a Shell gas station, causing one bystander to run for his life.
“I heard something very strong,” Isabel Ponce told NBC4.
Ponce was working at a nearby laundromat when she said she heard a loud noise and ran outside.
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“The people are like, ‘Help me, help me.’ That’s it. I come back in,” she said.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the chase started with a license plate check around 3 p.m. in Compton. Deputies were alerted the Dodge had been reported as stolen the day prior and began to pursue the vehicle. Within minutes, the driver crashed just a mile south in front of a Shell gas station.
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The driver of the Dodge and the pickup truck that was slammed into were both taken to an area hospital. The driver of the stolen vehicle suffered a broken ankle and the driver of the pickup truck is in the hospital.
Their injuries are not considered life threatening.
Investigators said the man driving the stolen car is facing charges that include felony evading and driving a stolen vehicle. His identity has not been released.
A female passenger in the stolen car was questioned by police but not arrested.
