A wild pursuit of an RV through the San Fernando Valley saw a dog leap from a moving vehicle, multiple crashes, and ended with the female driver taken into custody Tuesday evening.
The chase began in Santa Clarita when authorities tried to pull over the aged recreational vehicle on Towsley Canyon Road around 7 p.m., a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department official said.
The RV was weaving in and out of traffic, at high speeds, and sustained extensive damage.
There appeared to be at least two dogs inside the RV during the chase.
At one point, a dog was seen leaping out of the moving vehicle onto Victory Boulevard at Topham Street in the Winnetka neighborhood. The dog immediately got up and ran off the road.
Another dog was later seen in the front seat.
The driver slammed into a black car at the 101 Freeway offramp at Tampa Avenue, but continued on.
Around 7:30 p.m., the driver eventually lost control of the vehicle, crashed into another car and hit a tree at Tampa Avenue and Wells Drive in Tarzana. She then ran from the vehicle foot.
The dog that was inside the vehicle at the time of the crash was then seen running with a heavy limp, following close behind the fleeing driver.
The driver attempted to jump the gate of a residence, but was tackled by law enforcement.
Details of possible injuries sustained throughout the chase were not immediately available, and the driver’s identity has not yet been released.
The Sheriff’s Department initially called the vehicle simply a stolen RV, but Cmdr. Ritchie Lew with Simi Valley Police Department later said the RV was believed to have been purchased using a stolen identity at Giant RV in Downey.
The investigation is ongoing.
