SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Police Department is grappling with the dangers of high-speed pursuits, after they resulted in two deadly crashes less than a year apart.
A pursuit in 2023 resulted in a crash that took the lives of two innocent bystanders: four-year-old Mason and eight-year-old Malikai. Officers tried to pull over a man who sped away…and hit a car with those two young boys inside.
Tasha Williamson is friends with the victims’ family who is still suffering from the loss.
“Pursuits are dangerous,” Williamson said. "If we are talking about public safety for officers and the public, we need to address the pursuit policies.”
Last summer, a high-speed pursuit on Claremont Mesa Boulevard was called off seconds too late. The suspect slammed into an sdpd patrol car, killing responding Officer Austin Machitar and critically injuring his partner. The man they were pursuing, also died. Back then, ABC10news anchor Kimberly Hunt asked the Chief of Police Scott Wahl if he was considering policy change.
“I’m not going to make decisions based on emotion," Wahl said. "Decisions that have an impact in the overall public safety.”
Now, after three months of reviewing recommendations from a police oversight commission, Chief Wahl has made some decisions. Wahl says he is considering a new vehicle pursuit review board and wants to consult with the city attorney first.
“I think bringing a collaborative group together of some form is positive but we have groups that already exist," Wahl said. "We have an accident review board that exists. So exactly how that looks down the road remains to be seen.”
But Wahl rejected the commission’s central recommendation: to end a pursuit if the suspect committed a lesser offense. The commission says offenses like misdemeanors and traffic violations should not justify a chase. Wahl disagrees.
“We feel that sends the wrong message that fleeing from the police has no consequences," Wahl said. "We’ve seen other jurisdictions implement restrictive pursuit policies and then have to change course to address rising crime. That’s a risk we’re not willing to take here.”
Data from California Highway Patrol shows there were more than a thousand SDPD pursuits from 2019 to 2024. Only around 7% ended in an injury and .2% in a death.
