Police Chase Ends In Crash, Killing 3 In Echo Park

LOS ANGELES, CA — Three robbery suspects were killed and a fourth is fighting for life after a police chase in Echo Park ended with a crash Friday. The chase lasted just three minutes, and three of the suspects died when they were trapped in the rollover wreckage.

The crash happened 4:03 a.m. on the Rampart Boulevard offramp off the northbound Hollywood (101) Freeway, said Los Angeles police Officer Drake Madison.

"The pursuit started at 4 a.m. and ended three minutes later," Madison said.

Three of the suspects were trapped in the mangled wreckage. Firefighters worked to free them, but it was too late. They died at the scene. All four suspects were believed to be between 20 and 30 years old. The one surviving suspect was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, said Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The suspects were wanted for robbery, but details of where the pursuit began was not immediately available, the LAPD said.

The California Highway Patrol closed the Rampart Boulevard on-and off- ramps until further notice for the death investigation.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.