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By Noah Goldberg
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. — A man who authorities said stole a California Highway Patrol cruiser died after he jumped out of the driver’s side door while the car was still traveling along Highway 138 near Lancaster on Tuesday.
The man was driving around 45 miles per hour on Highway 138 near 87th Street when he jumped out of the vehicle as it approached a spike strip set up by police, according to KABC-TV Channel 7 footage of the chase.
The man hurled himself from the car and rolled across the road, where he was tackled and detained by waiting police as the cruiser crashed into an electrical pole, knocking it down.
Blood could be seen on the street where the man landed.
He suffered major injuries and was transported to Antelope Valley Hospital, where he died, CHP officials said Tuesday afternoon at a news conference.
The man’s name was being withheld pending notification of relatives.
The pursuit began sometime after CHP officers responded to a crash on the 5 Freeway near Hasley Canyon, KTLA reported.
As a CHP officer investigated the crash, a man who was involved in the collision jumped into an idling cruiser and drove off, reaching speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.
The man did not gain access to weapons that were inside the cruiser, officials said.
Few other details about the vehicle theft and pursuit were released Tuesday, with officials stating that the investigation was “complex.”
The CHP did not respond to a request for comment.
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