A 34-year-old Pomona woman, who allegedly was drunk, tried to avoid a police safety checkpoint Friday night and lead officers on a pursuit that ended with her car being hit by a paramedic vehicle responding to a call.
Jennifer Camara was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, felony evading a police officer, driving with a suspended California driver's license and other miscellaneous charges, police said.
Camara was airlifted to UCLA in Westwood and a hospital spokeswoman said Saturday evening she was in fair condition.
The Los Angeles County paramedics involved in the crash were not injured, said Melanie Flores, dispatch supervisor for the fire department. The three were wearing their seatbelts.
Jennifer Camara was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, felony evading a police officer, driving with a suspended California driver's license and other miscellaneous charges, police said.
Camara was airlifted to UCLA in Westwood and a hospital spokeswoman said Saturday evening she was in fair condition.
The Los Angeles County paramedics involved in the crash were not injured, said Melanie Flores, dispatch supervisor for the fire department. The three were wearing their seatbelts.
The incident began about 11:35 p.m. Friday when police saw Camara made a u-turn north of a traffic safety/drunken driving checkpoint to avoid entering the screening area.
Police said the u-turn at the Garey Avenue and Pearl Street was a traffic violation and they began to chase Camara's 2004 silver Toyota Camry with an Arizona license plate.
Camara failed to yield for police flashing lights and sirens, which resulted in a two-mile pursuit for three minutes through residential neighborhoods, police said.
The pursuit ended when Camara failed to stop at a stop sign at Chester Place and White Avenue and her Camry crossed paths with the LA County Fire Department paramedic unit.
Flores said the result was a "t-bone" collision as the paramedics' unit hit the Camry's driver side door.
The paramedics were responding to an emergency call for service when the crash occurred, police said.
Flores said the call the paramedics were answering was a person down call that another paramedic unit and another fire engine responded to after the collision.
Pomona Sgt. A.C. Cox said drivers making a u-turn to avoid checkpoints is not unusual.
"When they see checkpoints, they do some strange and interesting things to avoid them," he said.
But drivers who try to avoid a checkpoint and crash into a paramedic vehicle is not an everyday occurrence.
"No, I don't recall that," said Cox, who has worked 24 years with the Pomona Police Department. "That's a little unusual."
wes.woods@inlandnewspapers.com
Police said the u-turn at the Garey Avenue and Pearl Street was a traffic violation and they began to chase Camara's 2004 silver Toyota Camry with an Arizona license plate.
Camara failed to yield for police flashing lights and sirens, which resulted in a two-mile pursuit for three minutes through residential neighborhoods, police said.
The pursuit ended when Camara failed to stop at a stop sign at Chester Place and White Avenue and her Camry crossed paths with the LA County Fire Department paramedic unit.
Flores said the result was a "t-bone" collision as the paramedics' unit hit the Camry's driver side door.
The paramedics were responding to an emergency call for service when the crash occurred, police said.
Flores said the call the paramedics were answering was a person down call that another paramedic unit and another fire engine responded to after the collision.
Pomona Sgt. A.C. Cox said drivers making a u-turn to avoid checkpoints is not unusual.
"When they see checkpoints, they do some strange and interesting things to avoid them," he said.
But drivers who try to avoid a checkpoint and crash into a paramedic vehicle is not an everyday occurrence.
"No, I don't recall that," said Cox, who has worked 24 years with the Pomona Police Department. "That's a little unusual."
wes.woods@inlandnewspapers.com
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