Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Los Angeles’ Car Chase Culture
In 1994, 95 million people tuned in to watch O.J. Simpson’s slow-motion police chase live on television. This past weekend, the Los Angeles Times released an investigative report about car chases, which found that the LAPD leads the state in bystander injuries. One in 10 LAPD pursuits results in injury to a bystander.
By Madeleine Brand • • 1 min readIn 1994, 95 million people tuned in to watch O.J. Simpson’s slow-motion police chase live on television. This past weekend, the Los Angeles Times released an investigative report about car chases, which found that the LAPD leads the state in bystander injuries. One in 10 LAPD pursuits results in injury to a bystander. We rewind the clock to examine how the car chase became such a cultural institution in this city in the first place.
