Stolen Toyota Prius Frustrates Los Angeles Cops  

Image via NBCLA/YouTube

Back on Independence Day, a guy in a red Toyota Prius refused to pull over for a lawful traffic stop. Instead he fled, leading police in the San Fernando Valley on a long, frustrating chase which could’ve been wrapped up quickly.

A single typo allegedly leads to unlawful traffic stop.

People wonder why police chases in the Los Angeles area last so long, like this one that stretched on for over 48 minutes, and it’s clear if you watch chases in other places like Georgia, Michigan, Florida, or Arkansas.

The suspect in the little Prius was all over the place on speed. Sometimes he was hauling at high speeds, but during large chunks of the pursuit he was tooling along at slow speeds. He even stopped completely and sat like that waiting to merge into traffic repeatedly.

Couldn’t the police box in the Prius? What about doing a PIT maneuver, spiking the tires, or some other intervention? None of the officers even get close to doing that for almost an hour.

Instead, police just trailed behind like all they wanted to do was watch the guy try to flee. With helicopters in the air there was no way he would be able to completely slip away, unless he did the trick of parking under an overpass, in a garage, or somewhere else that obscures an overhead view. We have seen a number of suspects do that in Los Angeles.

Instead, this chase just goes and goes. Police have pursuit policies in place which keep them from just ending these situations. The school of thought is that when police “go cowboy” they constitute a public safety risk.

But doesn’t a fleeing suspect also present a public safety risk? Why is it preferable to have the public at risk from a criminal than to have officers take aggressive measures to stop the chase?

Instead, this guy goes so far as the crash through a gate in an industrial area when he gets cornered, pulverizing the windshield and trashing the front end of the Prius. Somehow, he doesn’t wreck out, although there are some close calls with other cars.

Image via NBCLA/YouTube

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By Steven Symes

Steven Symes is an accomplished automotive journalist with a passion for all things related to cars. His extensive knowledge and love for the automotive world shine through in his writing, which covers a diverse range of topics.

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