Pedestrian killed during high-speed police pursuit; suspect in custody

A 26-year-old man was held without bail today after he allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian during a  high-speed police pursuit that began on the 101 Freeway in Woodland Hills, authorities said.

The pursuit began shortly after 8 p.m. Saturday when a California Highway Patrol officer tried to pull over Hector Vidal, who was driving a 2002 Cadillac sedan southbound on the 101, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Norma Eisenman.

Vidal did not stop and fled “at a high rate of speed,” and a pursuit ensued, Eisenman said. Vidal exited the freeway and the chase moved to Ventura Boulevard, where he allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in a crosswalk near the intersection of Don Pio Drive, Eisenman said.

The pedestrian has not yet been identified.  

Vidal rear-ended a vehicle on Ventura Boulevard and kept driving, police said. The chase ended after his car struck a fence near Valley Circle Boulevard. At one point, a CHP officer fired on Vidal, but the suspect was not struck, Eisenman said. No other details of the shooting were released.

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz

Comments

[stewart]

and what pray tell was he being pulled over for that was worth all this? either to him or the police please?

[lizutu]

Well, big surprise. Someone finally died from a police pursuit. It is so dumb to chase vehicles that way one almost thinks it may be done solely for the telivision networks. Surely there is a way to get a suspect out of a car as soon as they are located, without a high speed chase. Get backup, block the suspicious car and get the perp to come out without such television drama. Please, before another fatality occurs.

[Tom]

That's the thing about a chase like this stewart and lizutu: while the initial reason for the stop may have been speeding, WHO KNOWS why the driver was fleeing. Was he leaving the scene of a robbery, an rape, an arson, a murder? Hindsight is 20-20 guys, and while the result is sad YOU especially have no idea what was happening at the time. Based on the description it sounds like blocking the car was impossible, and I'm sure back-up was on the way. Follwing the driver to the address on the registration is unrealistic - guys who commit major crimes don't go home, and if he's really "hot", he'll escape to Mexico and avoid extradition to the U.S. in that lawless atmosphere and with official sanction of the Mexican govenment if he's committed first degree murder with special circumstances.

[Ger]

How naive, according to Stew and Lizutu all you need to do is speed away from the Police whenever they turn on their lights. They shouldn't pursue at anytime.

"Get the Perp" sounds like someone has been watching to much TV and has no idea what is really happening in a pursuit

[Karrie]

I got stuck between the two police blockades last night. This is a nightmare. A high speed chase on the busiest street in the valley? Of course a pedestrian was going to get hit. Can you imagine stepping into a cross walk, minding your own business getting your legs blown out from under you, thrown a hundred and sixty feet dead across the road? And the victim hasn't even beed id'd yet????

I can only hope this Vidal guy gets locked up and taken care of as a means of "survival of the fitest" in the jail system. Let scum like himself give it to him.

[Ron]

Thank you, Tom. Finally a voice of reason. First of all, blocking is not an option and against many department policies. Secondly, you would never be able to put anybody behind the wheel of the car AFTER THE FACT. Thirdly, it is a proven fact that bad guys do not stop or even slow down once a pursuit is initiated. They just keep on going until they can ditch the car they're in. So, I ask you, if that person running just killed a family member of yours would you rather have the police chase or not chase? Do you understand how crime would spike if the police did nothing. Did not chase. It's the same as allowing and condoning their bad behavior. They have to know and realize that they're going to get caught and they're going to pay and they're not going to do whatever they want to do.

[Chillax]

There's no canned right answer for situations like this. The assumption is going to be that someone fleeing with that degree of intensity has something bigger than a traffic ticket going on. They have to make a judgement each time, and they're not always going to be right.

On a slightly different note, the Zebra killer was pulled over early in his murder spree. The killer had his daughter hide the gun, recently used, in a personal area of hers. The cops were respectful enough not to search the daughter, which resulted in the killing spree continuing. The killer was never caught.

Bad stuff happens, and stopping bad stuff can set off more bad things. Cops need to make a reasonable guess when it's worth it and when it's just taking a speeder too personally. You or me wouldn't make the right call every time and we can't expect them to either.
We don't know anything about Vidal yet, but somehow I think he's not just a guy PO'd about rush hour traffic.

[KK]

What normal person would ran from the cops? If he is not bad guy why run? Might as well not have law and order if they start letting everybody go and become a 4th world country.

[Matthew]

too bad we can't just shoot these people before they hurt anyone.

[get real]

Stewart and lizutu are the type of people who would be complaining if the police didn't stop this guy after he went on to commit a violent crime.

"Where were the police??"

Not once, anywhere in their respective diatribes, do they place any blame on the guy who should have pulled over like any normal citizen does when the police hit the blueberries and cherries. The fault of the pedestrian death lies solely with Vidal, and hopefully homocide charges arise out of this.

[Duffy Gale]

I was in the right lane last night at Don Pio and Ventura Blvd. I saw the man in the crosswalk walking normal and following the law to cross. The next thing I saw was a white car fly by and hit him at such a high speed that he was thrown about 30 yards over cars and land in the sreet against the curb. He was knocked out of his shoes, and broken up in a horrific pile and never knew that was the last step he would ever take.
Why no mention of his name, and maybe his life that was taken so violently?
I did not know their was a chase. I did see something that I will never get over, and a life taken in a split second. I know he has a family that are devastated. I wish you reporters would make the time to mention something about the victims life.
I did wish when I saw the end of the pursuit on the news that the driver would not survive. I am angry and disgusted that our tax dollars wiil be spending one cent on his prosecution. He saw the man and knew he killed him.
I have such sorrow for the family of the pedestrian, and do wish you would give a tribute of some sort for him.
The driver of that WHITE car deserves the harshest sentence possible. I know I am not alone in my shock and grief since it was very crowded, and a warm evening that brings people out. I thank the Lord that more were not in that intersection, but one life lost (especially in that way) is one too many.
My Love and prayers are with the family of this victim.

Duffy

[captain grumpy]

I agree with TOM ,you cannot afford NOT to stop a criminal, You dont know if he has just killed or raped, If you stop pursuits everyone will just run from the law and no one will be safe. The police,im sure do everything they can to keep it safe but dont blame the police for something a criminal did.
You might say that if he wasnt chased then he would not have run someone over,but he might have already killed someone and wanted to get away.

[Real Talk]

Someone "finally" died? A beloved colleague died in West Hollywood 5 years ago. Police were chasing someone who smashed head-on into the car my friend was in. At the time, the LAPD and other law enforcement authorities conducted all kinds of reviews of their policies re: car chases (all reported extensively in this newspaper), but probably to no avail.

[Phil]

To blame the police in any way shape or form is insanity. When the police motion for a suspect to pull over, after that, if the suspect keeps going, he or she incurs 100% of the responsibility for their actions. The police did not put a gun to this guy's head, they were simply doing their job and we, as responsible citizens, need to back them up or we're all screwed.

Unless you want complete anarchy, where we handcuff the people who are trying to protect us, instead of the bad guys, we need to understand that until we take a tougher stance against criminals who flee, we'll always be at their mercy and I don't want to live in that type of society. It is unbelievably tragic that someone senselessly lost their life, its disgusting and my heart goes out to the family but the blame is squarely on the guy who committed the act and let's hope he pays for his crime.

[lizutu]

Weak argument, Tom. Of course we don't know what is really going on or what happened. We are just talking about car chases. Why, he or SHE might be innocent of any crime and just scared. What I am suggesting is that police should come up with a new way of capturing someone in a vehicle other than chasing them. This is not my field of expertise, mind you, but I trust that there are some bright and inventive people at the police department who can do this.
I also don't think escaping to Mexico would be their best bet. They can go to Canada, too, unless YOU are implying that anybody in a car chase would be Mexican.

[Gale]

Regardless of the crime, these car chases are outrageous and I think the police lose their perspective in the heat of the moment in trying to "get the guy". Of course criminal suspects should be apprehended asap, but certainly not at the peril of the public. Surely, there is a better way. Can't they just be tracked by helicopter? I've often wondered why so much TV time is given to these chases. I've often wondered why the police can't shoot out the suspect's car tires or spread tire tacks across the freeway. It might sound as though I don't support the police, but I do, and I have great respect for how they so often are putting themselves between them and us - "To protect and serve". Therefore, not one innocent person should ever be killed or hurt in the pursuit of a suspect in a car because it is avoidable.

[pmg]

"Hector Vidal", seems to explain everything right there.

[Carlson]

Frankly, if the LAPD never pursued, I don't think anyone would stop for them anymore. I really don't.

This is a tragedy but it's the fault of the perp. The laws for running like that should be massively harsh and, for killing an innocent pedestrian, he should never leave jail.

[L Peyton]

Has the pedestrian who was killed been identified? My daughter drove by just moments after this accident and saw the victim laying in the gutter. It was terrible, beyond description. When and where will his funeral be? We need closure for this terrible accident. Does the City of Los Angeles allow high-speed car chases on the city streets? I pray for this man and his family.

[LISA NEWMAN]

The unidentiifed man is Dean Greenwalt a resident of Woodland Hills for 40 years. He was well known throughout the community as a beloved friend and neighbor. Dean will be deeply missed.

[Laura L.]

i just wanted to say a few words for those of you who have showed interest in the pedestrian who was killed on saturday night.
our neighbor dean is well known in our hills between canoga and de soto. tho he was married, he and his wife were separated so he lived alone in his old, funky canyon house. he had no children but we're told he is survived by a brother and a sister. he was a retired hughes aircraft engineer.
when dog owners worried about their dog being home alone all day, they would leave their animal with dean. after his dog 'badger' was killed, dean was seen walking the canyons with 'jack' so often that most people thought jack was dean's dog! and all other dog owners knew they could take a break on their walk at dean's house, where all the dogs could romp and play as their masters would visit. we live 2 houses away, and we would see people and dogs visiting there at any time of the day. (sometimes people passing through would think it was a dog park.)
dean also had some property in the desert somewhere. a place he called 'the ranch'. i'm sure none of us paid much attention to his schedule, but he would disappear for a few days at a time to go to the ranch. and when he went, he would take whatever cast-offs of furniture or wood or extra brick or whatever he could gather to the ranch with him. he said there were a lot of very poor people living out there, and he would bring them anything he thought would help. it was kind of a joke in our house. if we were done with something, we would say 'i wonder if dean wants this?' a lot of us would just leave stuff outside and he would take it. and since he was a scavenger, things would collect in his own yard, too. sometimes we would laugh with him about the things he had. i guess he believed anything could come in handy someday.

our neighborhood is usually comfortable, relaxed and often social. and tho we would never claim to be best friends, dean has been over to ours or other's homes for everything from st. patrick's day corned beef and cabbage, halloween pumpkin carving, and summer movies on the lawn. but mostly we would visit on the street, as he passed or when we would run into him while we were walking or were just outside.
he was a definite constant in the neighborhood. everyone knew him. it's still impossible to imagine him not being here any more.
i will post information if i learn of any memorial or service.

[Denise Sprague]

My name is Denise, and Dean Greenwalt was my beloved Uncle. I just wanted to say that the kind comments about him are very appreciated. He had a lot of family that loved him very much, and this is a very difficult time for us. It is so hard to lose someone you love like this. It is violent, it is unexpected, and it is so unneccesary. For those of you that have prayed for him, and for us, thank you very much.

[Nancy B.]

I'm in shock, I just found out last night. We've known Dean in our neighborhood for years. We got to know him because of his dog Badger what a sweetheart of a dog. Dean's heart was broken when Badger was killed, & didn't want to get another dog, but he befriended Jack, neighbor's dog (jack wasn't so sweet)but Dean was like the dog whisperer, he transformed him.
I'm so sad, what a tragic thing to have happened, our hearts go out to his family.

[Andrea Bsse]

Right i think they should have just shot the driver in the back of the head before he ran down the pedestrian. He also hit another car and didnt stop. You think he cared about what was in front of him. It was only a matter of time before a driver like that killed someone. Good thing they can charge him with something. If he hadnt have been running and say accidentally hit someone while speeding. He would have gotten away with it. Everyone kinda agrees that we shouldnt send those speeders to trial...that is till they run over your small child.....

[RoseMarie]

My son was killed by a pursuit! Today after 21/2 years and our attorney divorcing us for no apparent reason! NOw we have the courts telling us, two families! that theres no witness! to prosicute the Murderer! so now we have to bow down and walk away by giving that criminal 21 yrs for two lives! because the witness says they new him the day he was commiting the burglary!(criminal)he had been doing work on their home two weeks prior to the incident!. I ask everyone where are my sons constituional rights? I have no one to hellp me fight for his voice! The crimianl will win cause i have to bow down and walk way! I mentioned to families MY son Killed his frined lost 75% of his life and suffers for ever with seizures! what do we do! this is senseless that we as the living grieving falimies suffer through to try to make understanding over this cover up! In our situation the suspect and the police played cat and mouse on surface streets and than entered the 10frwy going wrong way! and called off the pursuit after the fatality was called in! Hey they 1st officer on the scene had the suspect on contact and did nothing! what do i do! now! Seems to me they treated my son life like ROAD KILL!