Southern California is home to celebrities, lottery millionaires, major sporting events and some of the craziest and wildest pursuits.
In 2023, we witnessed pursuits in golf cars, stolen utility trucks, drivers losing wigs and others running across freeways, to name a few. Different law enforcement agencies across Southern California had their work cut out chasing erratic drivers in some of the most dangerous and wild pursuits.
Here’s a look at some of SoCal’s wild pursuits.
Driver jumps out of car multiple times
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A driver led authorities on a high-speed pursuit on Aug. 9, 2023, through the San Gabriel Valley. At one point, deputies had to pull back due to the dangerous nature of the pursuit. The driver was seen jumping in and out of the vehicle until he finally abandoned it and ran into the backyard of a home in East LA.
Woman driver rams police car and loses wig as she runs away
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The driver of a stolen utility vehicle led police on a multi-county pursuit on the evening of Oct. 3. At one point, the woman driver traveled the wrong way on the 91 Freeway, stopped, jumped the center median and lost her wig as she ran toward a Denny’s restaurant in Corona.
Pickup driver spins and crashes into a tree
A pursuit in the San Gabriel Valley ended when the driver lost control and made a dramatic spinout before crashing into a tree in San Dimas on Nov. 27.
Bizarre golf cart chase
One of the most unusual chases happened when a driver led a pursuit in a golf cart in the San Fernando Valley. The driver had a dog in their lap the whole time during the pursuit. He eventually got cornered by a big rig parked outside a 7-Eleven in Valley Glen.
Erratic driver nearly hits pedestrians
An erratic driver maneuvered wildly on freeways from Woodland Hills to South Los Angeles. The driver was seen narrowly avoiding people on streets and eventually ending up on train tracks, where he was arrested.
K-9 takes down driver in stolen box truck
A wild pursuit in a stolen box truck came to an end in Long Beach after the driver slammed into a parked car and finally surrendered to police following the deployment of a K-9.
Jeep drives up embankment to get around traffic
The driver of a Jeep SUV led a high-speed chase from Lancaster to the San Fernando Valley back in April. The driver approached speeds of up to 100 mph on the 14 Freeway shortly after the pursuit began. At one point, the driver partially went up an embankment to go around stopped vehicles on the 405 Freeway in the North Hills area.
Driver attempts to outrun cops and jumps in trucks bed
A dramatic pursuit was led by a shooting suspect on the 405 Freeway near LAX in February. NewsChopper 4 showed exactly the moment when the driver loses control of the vehicle and crashes. But he didn’t stop there, he then ran across the freeway and tried to jump in the back of a pickup. More of this pursuit on NBCLA TikTok.
High speed change ends in dramatic PIT maneuver
Burglary suspects led officers on a chase from the San Fernando Valley to the Inland Empire. The driver was speeding on the 210 Freeway heading toward Rialto and ultimately moving onto the 215 Freeway in San Bernardino, where authorities were able to successfully perform a PIT maneuver.
