Woman struck by motorist in LAPD pursuit had a collapsed lung
Two people who were injured when their vehicle was struck by a car being pursued by police in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 13 suffered serious injuries, authorities said Saturday.
One of the car’s occupants, a female, had a shattered vertebra in her neck and collapsed lung, and the other passenger was rushed to a local hospital with injuries to the face and body, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. Their identities have not been released.
The two were involved in a crash at Olympic Boulevard and Los Angeles Street captured live on a local television news broadcast when they were struck by a Chevrolet Corvette driven by Brian Beaird, 51, who was fleeing police. Beaird was unarmed.
After the crash, live footage from KTLA-TV (Channel 5) showed Beaird stagger out of his vehicle. He briefly raised his hands with his back to officers, then grabbed his stomach and fell to the ground after police opened fire.
Police had said they were looking into whether any non-lethal rounds were fired before officers fired their guns. The KTLA footage shows an object bounce and roll across the sidewalk almost simultaneously with the shots being fired.
Three officers fired lethal rounds at Beaird, who died after the shooting. This week, police Chief Charlie Beck said he was “very concerned” about the incident. The three officers who fired their weapons have been put on leave.
Beck made the decision after a briefing from investigators examining the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Detectives told Beck the officers from the LAPD’s Newton Division fired more than 20 times.
“After hearing the preliminary briefing, I am very concerned about the circumstances that led up to and resulted in this officer-involved shooting,” Beck said in a statement.
The chief had said preliminary information indicated a beanbag round had been deployed, but it was unclear whether that had any effect on the officers’ decision to fire their weapons.
The incident began about 9:30 p.m. as a suspected drunk- or reckless-driver pursuit in Cudahy by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies. The LAPD took over the chase when it reached city limits.
Beaird’s family has filed a $20-million claim against the city, which is a legal precursor required when suing a California government entity.
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Twitter: @josephserna | @lacrimes
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