Kidnapped woman dies in crash during LAPD pursuit

The victim of a reported kidnapping was fatally injured Thursday when her sport utility vehicle was involved in a traffic collision in Westlake during a brief pursuit by Los Angeles police, officials said.

Patrol officers received a call shortly after 8 a.m. about a kidnapping in progress and spotted a GMC Yukon matching the description of the vehicle involved in the crime being driven by a man near the intersection of 6th Street and Westlake Avenue, according to LAPD Cmdr. Andy Smith.

As the officers followed the vehicle, they saw a woman in the Yukon waving paper at other motorists, officials said. They initiated a pursuit that ended blocks away when the SUV crossed a double yellow line and smashed head-on into an oncoming Volvo at 6th and Bixel streets.

The victim, a woman who was not immediately identified, sustained critical injuries in the collision and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Volvo driver was hospitalized with a broken bone.

The suspected kidnapper was arrested at the scene. Although police said they believed there was some kind of relationship between the suspect and victim, they had no immediate details.

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-- Andrew Blankstein

Image: Map shows location of a fatal crash at 6th and Bixle streets in Los Angeles. Soure: Google Maps