The California Highway Patrol (CHP) serves as a branch of the California State Police. Each officer is duly trained and exposed to the rigors of state police training, issued an official police firearm and most retain their own patrol vehicle to help keep California’s roadways safe. CHP deals with a variety of issues from moving violations and directing traffic to dramatic shoot-outs and high-speed fatal collisions. Certain situations on the roadways call for drastic measures and the CHP is prepared to respond with the necessary force.
High-speed chases are part of CHP’s repertoire of tasks required for the job. A Wednesday-evening domestic violence call quickly escalated into a chase commencing in Norco finally comg to an end near Temescal Avenue. CHP responded to reports of a violent domestic offender evading police late Wednesday night. Instead of surrendering to police, the offender chose to flee and CHP was quickly called to intervene. After pursuing an unsuccessful pursuit intervention technique, CHP continued to follow the vehicle until it eventually landed in the Santa Ana River.
The suspect fled on foot as the CHP patrol car sped out of control, crashing violently into a utility pole. The suspect continued to flee by way of the Santa Ana River and was quickly apprehended by the help of a Riverside police dog who was able to follow the scent trail of the offender.
The CHP officer survived the crash and his condition is unknown at this time. The offender’s age and identity were not publicly released either.
This story goes to show that even the most highly-trained law enforcement officials are not exempt from serious car accidents and roadway injuries. If you were recently injured in a motor vehicle accident, regardless of the circumstances, feel free to give us a call as soon as possible. We would love to help you with your case.
