Local News in Brief : Car Pursued by Police Crashes; 4 Injured

A high-speed police pursuit Saturday night in Lake View Terrace ended in a traffic accident that injured four people, authorities said.

The head-on crash occurred about 7 p.m. on Foothill Boulevard south of Van Nuys Boulevard. The chase began in Sylmar after Los Angeles Police Department gang crimes investigators saw a drug transaction between a suspected gang member and three people in a car, Lt. George Rock said.

Officers Harold Castrillo and Rollie Landtiser approached the car and it sped off, Rock said. As the chase reached southbound Foothill Boulevard, the pursued car reached speeds of up to 70 m.p.h., he said.

It crossed the center line of the boulevard and struck a car driven by Renard Tillman, 22, of Pacoima about five miles from where the chase began, Rock said. Tillman was listed in satisfactory condition at Pacifica Hospital in Sun Valley, he said.

Two unidentified passengers in the pursued car also were being treated at Pacifica, Rock said. One, a man, was in critical condition and the other, a woman, was in satisfactory condition, he said.

The driver of the car police were chasing was not identified Saturday night, the lieutenant said. He was taken by helicopter to Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, where he was listed in critical condition, Rock said. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of an intoxicant, he said.