Stolen RV destroyed by woman during LAPD pursuit

LOS ANGELES — A woman in a stolen recreational vehicle led authorities on a wild chase in Los Angeles on Tuesday, smashing into cars and a palm tree before finally coming to a halt with a large dog hanging out of the shattered windshield.

The half-hour chase began around 7 p.m. in Santa Clarita, just north of L.A., when the RV failed to yield for the California Highway Patrol, KABC-TV reported.

Video showed the RV careening at speeds of up to 60 mph (97 kph) from Santa Clarita into the San Fernando Valley.

The RV hit several cars and then a palm tree in a shopping mall parking lot that tore off the passenger-side door and wrecked the front end, leaving the windshield dangling on the hood.

At one point, a large dog in the driver’s lap scrambled halfway out of the shattered windshield area and tumbled or jumped from the moving vehicle, landing in the street. The RV stopped but the dog got up and appeared unharmed as it ran to the curb.

The RV drove on. Another dog was seen dangling from the window until the RV finally rear-ended another car at high speed in a residential Tarzana neighborhood and plowed into some trees.

The woman got out and ran with the dog following but she was quickly tackled by authorities.

The woman and the driver she hit were both taken away in ambulances. There was no immediate word on their conditions.

The dog also was captured and led away. It wasn’t immediately known what happened to the second dog.