Triplex Resident Hurt as Car Crashes Through Wall

A man suspected of drunk driving crashed into a triplex, injuring a resident and leaving a 6-by-8-foot hole in a wall after being chased by police through Van Nuys early Sunday morning, police said.

Sgt. Jim Gicking said George N. Smart, 52, of Lake View Terrace, was dozing on a couch in a living room of the triplex when the car plowed through the front wall. Smart was treated for a broken elbow and bruises on his ribs and left thigh at Valley Medical Center in Van Nuys.

Officer James R. Leiphardt, 37, one of two motorcycle officers pursuing the driver, fractured his leg below the knee when he apparently turned the wrong way after dismounting his motorcycle to catch the suspect, identified as Jose Luis Estrada, 21, of Van Nuys, Gicking said.

Leiphardt was listed in good condition and was scheduled to have surgery on his leg today at Valley Medical Center.

Gicking said Leiphardt and Officer Harlan DeJongh were patrolling Van Nuys Boulevard early Sunday morning when they saw a car run a red light and then skid to a stop in the intersection of Van Nuys and Victory boulevards. The driver took off at a high speed when the officers tried to stop him, police said.

The driver was chased for nearly 10 minutes at speeds exceeding 80 m.p.h., Gicking said. The suspect was driving west on Vanowen Street in Van Nuys when his car jumped a curb and crashed into the triplex near Vesper Avenue about 12:30 a.m., police said.

Estrada was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. A passenger in his car, Ramon Duarte of Van Nuys, was treated for minor injuries, police said.