Torrance

Speeding Mercedes-Benz SUV Driver Slams Head-On Into Another Car in South Bay Chase

A driver sought by authorities in connection with a robbery crashed into a couple in another car, then just kept going.

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A man driving a Mercedes-Benz SUV at high speed crashed head-on into another car with two people inside during a frightening chase Tuesday in Los Angeles' South Bay area.

The driver later stopped and was taken into custody, bringing the dangerous situation to an end in the Gardena area.

The occupants of the SUV were wanted in connection with a midday robbery at a T-Mobile store in Commerce, City News Service reported. The suspects fled in the white SUV, but one got out at some point and was taken into custody, the sheriff's department told CNS.

A Mercedes-Benz SUV driver is taken into custody at the end of a pursuit Tuesday May 3, 2022.

The driver continued at high speeds on the 105 Freeway before heading south on Crenshaw Boulevard. The driver took a circuitous route in a neighborhood, making U-turns in cul-de-sacs and other dead-ends.

The driver made several turns at high speed and went onto a sidewalk at one point. Shortly after, the SUV collided with the white sedan at a corner. The SUV driver backed up and continued, leaving the driver and her passenger in a heavily damaged car with air bags deployed at the scene of the crash.

Connie Rodriguez was in the other car with her boyfriend. She saw helicopters circling the neighborhood before the white SUV rounded a corner headed in her direction.

"I was driving home, my house is just like one minute away," she said. "He was going full speed, and then behind him were three cops. He just full-on hit us."

Her boyfriend said he heard the screeching sound of tires as the SUV turned the corner.

"It just all froze, like in slow motion," said Huy Ly. "Next thing I know police officers are coming to assist us."

A car was damaged when a chase driver in a SUV crashed head-on into the vehicle Tuesday May 3, 2022 in the Hawthorne area.

The SUV appeared to clip another vehicle on Van Ness Avenue in Torrance when it gradually slowed and came to a stop near 173rd Street. The driver exited and was taken into custody.

No serious injuries were reported.

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