Police chases causing deaths in California

LOS ANGELES -- The death toll from an extraordinary spate of fatal police chases in Southern California mounted over the weekend as three pursuits ended with each fleeing suspect crashing and killing an innocent motorist, officials say.

Including Saturday's three crashes, which occurred within five hours, eight police pursuits in the region in the last two weeks have ended in death. Ten people -- all but two of them bystanders caught in the path of speeding suspects -- have been killed.

In June, a car being chased by U.S. Border Patrol agents crashed in front of a high school, killing six people, including four students.

After that crash, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service revised its policy on pursuits. It ordered agents to end a chase when "the danger posed to the public . . . is greater than the benefit of apprehending the suspect."