A police chase and tense standoff in California ended in tragedy after a woman climbed over the guardrail of a freeway overpass and fell onto the interstate below, authorities said.
The woman later died from her injuries.
The dramatic encounter unfolded Monday night in the San Francisco Bay Area after South San Francisco police located a vehicle connected to a woman who had allegedly fled from another law enforcement agency earlier in the day.
Police said the woman also had multiple outstanding arrest warrants.
The incident began around 8:30 p.m. when officers approached the vehicle and attempted to make contact with her.
According to police, the woman displayed a pair of scissors before getting into the driver’s seat.
An officer then used a stun gun in an attempt to stop her, but police said it had no effect.
The woman allegedly sped away, triggering a pursuit that headed south from South San Francisco into neighboring San Bruno.
During the chase, police said the woman repeatedly rammed a South San Francisco police vehicle as she attempted to get away.
Officers eventually deployed spike strips in an effort to disable her car.
The pursuit came to an end on the Sneath Lane overpass above Interstate 280, where the woman’s vehicle became disabled.
But the confrontation was far from over.
Police said the woman remained barricaded inside the car and refused repeated commands to come out.
A crisis negotiation team was called to the scene and attempted to communicate with her in hopes of resolving the standoff peacefully.
Authorities said those efforts were unsuccessful.
Officers then fired pepper-ball projectiles into the vehicle.
That prompted the woman to exit the car and run toward the edge of the overpass, according to police.
Officers fired a less-lethal sponge round in an effort to stop her, but police said it also failed to prevent her from continuing toward the guardrail.
A police K-9 was then deployed in an attempt to apprehend her.
However, when the woman continued moving toward the edge, officers recalled the dog.
Moments later, police said the woman intentionally climbed over the guardrail and went over the side of the overpass, landing on Interstate 280 below.
Officers immediately moved to stop approaching freeway traffic and rushed to provide medical aid.
Paramedics transported the woman to a trauma center with severe injuries.
She later died.
Authorities had not publicly released her name as of Wednesday.
No police officers were injured during the pursuit or standoff.
The incident shut down a portion of the busy Bay Area roadway while police, emergency crews and investigators responded to the scene.
South San Francisco police said detectives are now reviewing the entire sequence of events, including the earlier pursuit involving another law enforcement agency, the attempted arrest, the chase through San Bruno and the tactics used during the standoff.
Officials have not yet released details about the woman’s outstanding warrants or explained what prompted the earlier pursuit.
Police also have not said whether body-camera or dashboard-camera footage from the incident will be released.
The case remains under investigation.
Who could have guessed , CA again