Driver killed after police pursuit

A 38-year-old Los Angeles man was killed early Saturday morning after he led police on a high-speed chase through a hillside residential neighborhood in View Park and hit a parked car and a concrete light pole, authorities said.

The man, identified Sunday by the coroner’s office as Raja Krishna Velu, was spotted running multiple traffic lights and stop signs by Los Angeles police officers on Stocker Street near Baldwin Hills, said Officer Karen Smith.

As officers crested the hill on Valley Ridge Avenue, they found the 2007 Nissan Versa had struck a light pole and turned on its side. Its engine was on fire. Officers broke a car window to try to pull the man to safety, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

-- Ken Weiss