Los Angeles County, California (Alhambra, CA) – On Thursday, March 2, 2023, a singular vehicle rolled over after a crash. The car was being pursued by South Pasadena police because of a suspected theft attempt by a catalytic converter between Concord and Fremont at an intersection in Alhambra, CA.

According to authorities, a patroller was surveying Fremont Avenue’s 1600 block at 3 in the morning and noticed a Lexus sedan double-parked across a Toyota Prius. It didn’t have a rear license plate, and its headlights weren’t on. The chase began when the patroller initiated a traffic stop, which occurred in the vehicle running red lights and speeding. The chase proved to be unsafe to continue, so the officer gave up and alerted the Alhambra Police Department. The crash was later found by an Alhambra police officer, discovering that all three occupants were injured as one was ejected and the others were trapped.

The fleeing suspects were identified as a minor from Los Angeles, only 16 years old, and two adults; Elmer Contreras Robinson, 28, from Cudahy, and Alberto Avitia, 25, from Huntington. One bystander, Chris Gutierrez, told ABC7 that he lived around the area and wondered how anyone could have survived the crash. He noted that the vehicle must have been moving at high speeds to cause that amount of damage and that he heard sirens, a helicopter, and a major bang. Eyewitness News has appeared in at least 13 pursuits in L.A. County this year alone, where eight people were injured and seven dead. According to the California Highway Patrol’s 2020 data, the actual number of pursuits is much higher. Around the last week of January this year, a police chase in Panorama City ended in a crash and the suspect hit two men who were just driving by, effectively killing them. In mid-February, another suspect was involved in a chase, running a red light and killing 19-year-old Erick Barbosa Guardado. There are guidelines released by California agencies regarding initiating pursuits in line with the balance test. These guidelines ask officers to consider factors such as the reason for the apprehension, safety and traffic volume in the surrounding area, the location (taking into consideration if there are schools nearby, as well as visibility and the level of danger of the suspect in question.

If anyone has information on the crash just reported, they are encouraged to contact 624-493-7297, the local number of the South Pasadena Police Department, or they can submit an anonymous tip via the “Crime Stoppers” hotline, 800-222-8477.

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