We have another instance of a Bay Area law enforcement vehicle engaged in a high-speed chase resulting in casualties for people not involved in that chase. This time, an elderly man was reportedly left with major injuries.

A Sonoma County sheriff's deputy crashed into a vehicle pulling out of a hardware store parking lot Sunday in Santa Rosa during a chase in which the deputy was allegedly pursuing two cars that were seen street-racing in the area.

The crash happened at 5:52 pm Sunday, as the CHP explains in a Facebook post. "Preliminary information shows the deputy was heading south on Santa Rosa Ave with emergency lights on, trying to catch up to two cars involved in street racing. As the patrol vehicle neared the driveway of Friedman’s Home Improvement, a white Ford Focus pulled out of the parking lot directly in front of it," CHP-Santa Rosa writes.

"The deputy swerved left to avoid the Ford but was unable to, and the patrol car collided with the front left side of the Ford."

The elderly driver of the Ford was seriously injured, and transported to a nearby hospital. His condition is not known.

A witness at the scene who posted about it on Facebook, Areceli Garcia, claims that the CHP account leaves out some details. Garcia says the deputy "pulled out into middle lane used for cars to turn without lights and no sirens on" and "unfortunately the elderly man coming out of friedmans trying to turn left was slammed by the sheriff in the middle lane who was chasing the two cars at almost 55 mph."

The victim's car reportedly spun four times before coming to a stop.

The incident once again highlights the dangers of law enforcement engaging in high-speed chases. In this case, rather than a suspect's reckless driving causing the injury, it was the officer themselves.

The Oakland Police Commission recently capitulated to police and allowed for high-speed pursuits in certain cases — something that our of-late tough-on-crime governor has also been advocating for.

An Oakland high school teacher was killed in May as a result of a high-speed chase connected to a stolen car.