Woman flees police chase in Venice Beach, drives into ocean with two dogs

A dramatic police chase in California ended in the ocean late Saturday night after a woman, with two dogs in the backseat, drove her car straight into the waves just south of the Venice pier.

About 11:21 p.m., California Highway Patrol officers attempted to pull over a silver BMW X3 for speeding along the 10 Freeway near Temple City Boulevard. The driver, whom authorities identified only as female, took off instead and continued westbound toward the coast.

After running the car into the surf and getting stuck in the whitewash, the driver got out and started swimming farther offshore.

More than a dozen onlookers gawked from the beach and others watched from the pier as the bizarre situation continued to unfold.

As deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department attempted to rescue the driver, who could be seen bobbing in the waves, lifeguards from the Los Angeles Fire Department discovered two small dogs in the backseat.

Video from the scene shows a lifeguard lifting one of the dogs out of the car and cradling it as he walked back toward shore.

The driver was eventually hoisted onto a police boat and taken into custody, according to CHP records. The two dogs were placed into the care of animal control.