Police officers crash while pursuing stolen U-Haul van; suspect being sought

VAN NUYS (FOX 11 / CNS) - A police vehicle was involved in a collision Monday in Van Nuys while pursuing a stolen U-Haul van that subsequently crashed, but the suspect eluded capture.

The pursuit started shortly before 4 a.m. near Sherman Way and Woodman Avenue and ended with the crash at that intersection involving the police SUV and two other vehicles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The two other motorists declined medical treatment.

A short time after that crash, the stolen van crashed into a "fixed object,'' and the suspect ran away, said Sgt. Robert Martinez of the LAPD's Van Nuys Station.

Officers set up a containment perimeter and searched for the unidentified suspect, who was not found, police said. The officers involved in the crash were taken to a hospital with complaints of pain, he said.

There has been a rash of thefts of U-Haul vehicles recently, Martinez said.