PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A woman is facing multiple felony charges after a high-speed police chase ended with her pickup truck flipping over and crashing into three vehicles at a west Phoenix intersection Saturday evening.
The crash marks the second incident this week involving a driver fleeing from police, raising questions about split-second decisions officers must make when deciding whether to pursue someone or let them go.
Phoenix police said Esmeralda Galindo-Monje took off after ramming her pickup truck into a police squad car on Saturday.
The chase led to the intersection of 67th Avenue and Lower Buckeye, where she ran a red light and crashed into three other vehicles, flipping her truck.
One woman remains hospitalized with serious injuries from the crash. The other adults and two children who were hurt have since been released.
Galindo-Monje is facing aggravated assault, unlawful flight from law enforcement and aggravated DUI charges, according to court records.
Expert weighs pursuit policies
Dr. Roy Taylor, a police procedure expert with more than 30 years of experience, said most agencies use a balancing test when deciding whether to pursue fleeing vehicles.
“It’s up to each and every agency to determine how much risk they’re willing to accept in allowing their officers to pursue fleeing vehicles,” Taylor said.
He said the risk of pursuit must be weighed against the risk of leaving the driver on the run.
Taylor analyzed Saturday’s pursuit and crash with the information available to him.
“Chasing somebody down like that, that’s willing to intentionally crash into a police vehicle, probably trying to hurt a police officer, that means that they’re a threat to society,” Taylor said. “If they’re willing to go up against a marked unit of a police department, then how safe are you?”
Second crash highlights difficult decisions
On Thursday night, a suspected DUI driver sped away from a traffic stop, but Phoenix police decided not to pursue. Instead, officers shared a description with other units and their overhead helicopter.
“Again, it’s a balancing test. They’ve already got his license plate number. They may have already gotten his driver’s license number. They know he’s impaired. They see he’s willing to run,” Taylor said.
Minutes after the driver took off, he crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into another vehicle, killing its driver.
“If the driver pulls away, the officer chases him and the same thing happens, then what’s going to happen to the police department? What good did it do to chase him?” Taylor said.
Taylor said most people injured in police chases are innocent bystanders.
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