A 2 1/2-week-old boy lost an arm Tuesday after his parents' sport utility vehicle was broadsided by a car occupied by four men fleeing police during a short, high-speed pursuit in Sylmar.
Seven people were injured in the 2:30 p.m. crash, including the infant. The child was airlifted to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, where doctors determined they could not reattach his left arm. The boy was in serious condition with stable vital signs late Tuesday.
"Besides the injury to his arm, he had some small bleeding around his brain, but it is not significant," said Dr. James Stein. "We do expect him to recover, but at the present time he is in serious condition."
The pursuit began about 2:27 p.m. when Los Angeles police spotted a blue Chevrolet Corsica that matched the description of one driven by suspects in a stabbing that had occurred minutes earlier in the 13200 block of Maclay Avenue, LAPD Officer Grace Brady said.
For two minutes, police chased the fleeing suspects until they ran a red light at Polk Street and Dronfield Avenue and crashed into the Ford Expedition containing the infant and his parents.
The baby was strapped into a child safety seat when the impact of the crash crushed a rear door jamb against his arm, ripping it off above the elbow. "It was a horrific incident," said Capt. Bill Wick of the Los Angeles Fire Department. "It does appear that the [suspects'] car was traveling at a high rate of speed."
The boy's mother -- described by police as not seriously hurt but extremely distraught -- accompanied the baby to Childrens Hospital, police said.
None of the injuries sustained in the crash were considered to be life-threatening, authorities said.
The baby's father, who had to be extricated from the vehicle, was treated at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Santa Clarita and released. He was flown late Tuesday to Childrens Hospital to be with his wife and son, police said.
Alejandro Martinez, 26, the driver of the Corsica, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and evading arrest. His three passengers were questioned by police and released.
The attempted murder charge is based on the stabbing, although the victim did not require hospitalization. Additional charges in connection with the pursuit and crash may be considered, said LAPD spokesman Jason Lee.
LAPD Deputy Chief George Gascon, whose responsibilities include oversight of training and policy development, said police are still trying to determine what transpired during the chase in Sylmar.
