A woman is in custody after leading police on a chase that ended in the Pacific Ocean close to Venice Beach. The pursuit started almost 30 miles away over what was initially a speeding violation. The chaos had bystanders in disbelief and trying to comfort two terrified dogs that were onboard the speeding BMW.
According to the L.A. Times, police attempted to pull over a first-generation BMW X3 around 11:21 p.m. on Saturday night. The driver, located near Temple City Blvd at the time of the initial contact, refused to stop and instead began to flee. It’s unclear when she finally hit the water, but that location is about 29.8 miles or roughly 40 minutes away from Venice Beach.
Ultimately, the Pacific Ocean itself stopped her progress though. Video from the local pier shows the driver slamming into the water where one bad decision sparked another. Evidently, she attempted to swim to freedom once in the water.
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That didn’t go as planned either though and authorities quickly swooped in both with a helicopter and a police boat to pluck her from the water.
Thankfully, the two Boston Terriers in the back of the BMW SUV survived without issue. One escaped the car before it came to rest in the waves and the other was rescued by a lifeguard on the scene.
According to multiple sources, the pups are now safe and sound at the local animal control shelter. No doubt, the media attention around this story will have them adopted in no time. The woman though likely doesn’t have such a rosy outlook.
One report from the DailyMail says that she’s facing charges of evading police and of animal cruelty. Considering that this whole thing started with what reportedly was a speeding violation, she’s likely facing one or two associated charges of that nature as well. The BMW in question was towed from the scene by a tractor.
It’s unclear at this point why the woman fled the traffic stop, why she thought driving into the ocean was the right move, and how exactly she planned to swim to freedom. Police have yet to release any information about who she is or what circumstances led to her decisions.