High-Speed Chase Ends in Colina Crash

Carabineros pursued a vehicle across Colina, Lo Barnechea, Vitacura and Huechuraba on Wednesday, May 13, after a series of thefts that began in Chicureo, according to Chilean broadcasters and police statements carried by local media. The chase ended on the El Salto descent in Huechuraba when the fleeing car hit two civilian vehicles and its occupants tried to run across the roadway. Two adult suspects were arrested at the scene, while at least one other person escaped on foot, the reports said. No injuries were reported from the collision, though a police vehicle also struck a highway barrier during the operation. ### Where did the chase start, and what set it off? Chicureo, in the commune of Colina, was the starting point of the case, according to Commander Rodrigo Silva of the 37th Precinct in Vitacura, as quoted by T13 and other outlets. Silva said a victim reported that a backpack and a notebook computer had been stolen from inside a vehicle parked on a public street. (biobiochile.cl) Municipal surveillance cameras helped identify the vehicle used by the suspects, allowing police to track it and begin the pursuit, T13 reported. BioBioChile said police later linked the same group to three thefts in the capital, with incidents in Colina, Lo Barnechea and Vitacura before officers closed in. ### Which communes did the suspects cross before the crash? (t13.cl) Colina, Lo Barnechea, Vitacura and Huechuraba were the four communes crossed during the pursuit, according to T13 and El Ágora. The route included the San Cristóbal tunnel before the chase reached the El Salto sector in Huechuraba. (t13.cl) BioBioChile reported that the suspects were first detected after a theft in Vitacura, while earlier thefts had already been reported in Colina and Lo Barnechea. That sequence suggests police were responding to a moving pattern of thefts rather than a single isolated complaint. (biobiochile.cl) ### What happened at the end of the pursuit in Huechuraba? Huechuraba was where the fleeing vehicle collided with two private cars, according to police statements cited by T13, BioBioChile and El Ágora. After the crash, several occupants got out and tried to flee on foot near the highway and the Parque Metropolitano area. (biobiochile.cl) Commander Rodrigo Silva said officers, working with municipal personnel, detained two of the vehicle’s occupants after they got out and ran. T13 reported that the detainees were adults with multiple prior criminal records. ### Did anyone get hurt, and what happened to the police vehicle? No injuries were reported from the crash involving the civilian vehicles, according to T13, BioBioChile and El Ágora. (biobiochile.cl) The same reports said one police vehicle lost control and hit a highway barrier during the pursuit, but did not strike another car. (t13.cl) BioBioChile said the police crash happened for reasons still under investigation. Local reports did not identify injuries to officers from that impact. ### What do authorities say about the suspects and the car they used? Two Chilean adults were arrested and placed at the disposal of the Public Ministry, BioBioChile reported. (biobiochile.cl) The same report said both had prior police records and that investigators were examining whether the car used in the chase had also been used in other crimes. T13 and El Ágora reported that the vehicle did not appear in police systems as stolen at the time of the chase. Commander Rodrigo Silva said police had not ruled out the possibility that it had been stolen without the owner yet filing a report. ### What has been recovered, and what happens next? The backpack and notebook reported stolen in Colina were recovered, according to police statements cited by T13 and BioBioChile. (biobiochile.cl) The reports said at least one suspect remained at large after fleeing toward the highway and nearby areas. (t13.cl) The Public Ministry now has the detainees at its disposal, while Carabineros continues checking the vehicle’s status and searching for the remaining suspect, according to BioBioChile and T13. Those steps are the next concrete stage in the case as investigators work to determine whether the same group was involved in additional thefts. (biobiochile.cl)