PALOS VERDES — A high speed pursuit involving an LAUSD teacher suspected of a lewd act ended when the man’s car went airborne and crashed into a tree, authorities say.
It all started just after 12:30 when detectives, who had been watching the man’s home, approached the suspect’s pick-up.
The suspect reportedly told the officers he wanted to kill himself and drove off.
Detectives had been watching the suspect’s home in Lakewood for about a day as part of an ongoing investigation, Lt. Ty Henshaw of the Bell Police Department told the L.A. Times.
Details of the man’s alleged crime were not released, but Henshaw told the newspaper it occurred “some time ago.”
Authorities planned to arrest him but a warrant had not yet been issued, Henshaw said.
The suspect is believed to be a teacher at Southeast Middle School in South Gate.
The school district and the district attorney’s office had been working with investigators, he said.
The chase came to a brief stop in Torrance when an officer performed a PIT maneuver, sending the suspect’s truck spinning into the side of a big rig.
But after a moment, the suspect took off again.
A few minutes later, the suspect drove off Crenshaw Boulevard and plunged down an embankment in Rancho Palos Verdes.
The vehicle went airborne and crashed into a tree about 1:30 p.m.
Fire crews were able to extricate the suspect from the vehicle, which came to rest on a hillside at Crenshaw Boulevard and North Indian Peak.
The man’s condition was not immediately known.
He was taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
No other details were immediately available.
R Soft Web Hosting