Car Chased by Police Hits 2nd Vehicle; 2 Hurt

A carload of fleeing burglary suspects crashed head-on into a second car and seriously injured two people in that vehicle before police wounded one of the suspects Sunday, Los Angeles police said.

Officers, staking out an area plagued by car thefts, heard gunfire in the area of Sunset Boulevard and Orange Street about 1:30 a.m., police said.

The two-man team saw a car speeding away with its headlamps off and gave chase. Sgt. John Chamness took over the pursuit and followed the car northbound on Highland Avenue, then north on Milner Road.

On Milner, the car collided with a southbound vehicle and critically injured two people inside, said Detective Mike Schwehr.

Four people bailed out of the first car and ran. Two were apprehended immediately. A third, Jaime Garcia, 19, scrambled up a hillside with Chamness in pursuit.

Chamness thought Garcia was armed, police said, and the sergeant fired twice when Garcia turned to face him. Garcia ran and hid, and a police dog found him hiding in bushes.

Garcia was arrested and it was discovered that he had been shot in the elbow. A search of the hillside turned up no weapon, but a .38-caliber handgun was recovered near the car that had been pursued.

The fourth suspect was being sought.