Folsom Police Defend Pursuit Policy After Crash Injures Mother, Child In Van

FOLSOM (CBS13) — A police chase involving a burglary suspect ended in a violent crash involving a mother and child.

"The first thing I thought about was it was another car chase," said Steve Carignan. "It hurt and made my family a victim."

His daughter and granddaughter will be OK. Looking at the wreckage, he's grateful.

"It could have easily resulted in death for both of them," he said.

They survived in their totaled family minivan. Its front end was smashed in and the airbag was deployed when they were sent into a 360-degree spin after a suspect in a chase crashed into them.

The Folsom pursuit policy guides officers to balance risks to police and the public in determining whether to give chase. Spokesman Sgt. Andrew Bates defended the decision to give chase in this case.

"We have adopted a policy that's fairly uniform across the state," he said. "Unfortunately we can't control how a suspect drives and whether a suspect is able to see traffic ahead of him."

In this pursuit, Folsom police say the suspect had allegedly committed a felony burglary, breaking into two stores. An officer gave chase along a three mile stretch from Bidwell to Blue Ravine at speeds police have not released.

It came to an abrupt end with the suspect car's sudden impact into this family van.

A collision that's now left a mom recovering in the hospital, and a grandfather firm in his feelings about police pursuits.

"I've been against chases because of the collateral damage that I've seen through the years," he said. "If they used some new technology, they could stop a lot of injuries like this."