Woman, in her 20s, drives BMW into Pacific Ocean leaving her two dogs inside car after wild police chase through the streets of Los Angeles

A Los Angeles woman who led police on a high-speed chase drove her luxury SUV into the ocean - abandoning her two dogs inside her vehicle, which was knocked on its side by the powerful surf.

The Boston Terriers were rescued by lifeguards shortly after midnight on Sunday after the woman swam away from her waterlogged BMW X3 in the Pacific Ocean. 

The woman was pulled from the roiling waves after swimming 'like a professional athlete' from the doomed car and towards the fishing pier on Venice Beach, California.

'It was like something out of an action movie, with this car barreling through on the sand and plunging into the water' an onlooker, who gave her name as Sarah Jane, told DailyMail.com. She said she was surprised the woman survived. 

According to the California High Patrol, officers attempted to pull the car over for speeding on the 10 freeway in downtown Los Angeles.

A woman has been rescued from the Pacific Ocean after driving her SUV into the sea during a high speed chase with the LAPD on Sunday 

The woman was seen paddling in the water, while a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department boat attempted to rescue her by tossing a flotation donut into the ocean which she grabbed onto and was then hoisted onto the boat

The next morning, her car was hauled out of the water - much to the bewilderment of passersby

The chase ended in Venice when the woman – said to be in her 20s – drove her car across the sand and into the Pacific Ocean. 

'It was cold, dark and the waves were choppy,' said Sarah Jane, a tourist visiting from England. 

'I really don't know how she managed to survive, let alone swim such a long distance.'

While onlookers on the pier tried to help by yelling out to the woman, some were not as supportive when they discovered the driver had left two of her dogs in the car.

Video footage shows the dramatic moment two lifeguards approach the submerged car holding flashlights while looking for any other passengers. 

As one lifeguard peers in, he motions to the other lifeguard suggesting someone is in the vehicle.

Next, the lifeguard opened the backseat door while waves slammed against the car - only to pull out a small dog, a Boston Terrier. 

The lifeguard is then seen walking back towards the sand where two red lifeguard pickup trucks are parked with other onlookers watching in disbelief. 

The car is seen rocking in the waves after the woman, who was being pursued by police, drove the vehicle on the sand and into the water

Rescuers rushed to get the woman and her dogs out of the Pacific Ocean 

A spotlight is shone on the woman, who was in the water after plunging into it

The suspect then swam out into the ocean before being picked up by a police boat a short distance from the shore

A large police presence was seen at the beach on Saturday night and Sunday morning 

'Another dog, another Boston Terrier, managed to get out of the car when it was still in motion hurling down the sand. 

'He was seen nervously scampering around on the sand, until someone picked him up and held him or her trying to calm it down,' said Josh Sullivan, who was walking his own dog at the time of the incident. 

The woman was seen paddling in the water, while a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department boat attempted to rescue her by tossing a flotation donut into the ocean which she grabbed onto and was then hoisted onto the boat. 

According to Officer Erik Larson with the California Highway Patrol, the chase began at 11:21pm Saturday in El Monte and ended at 12:03 Sunday in Venice Beach.

'Both dogs were picked up by animal control,' Larson told DailyMail.com

An officer told DailyMail.com that the woman was taken to the hospital and the dogs remain with Animal Care Services. 

The next morning, beach goers unaware of the incident were surprised to find a car being towed from the water up onto the land and later taken away. 

The front window was shattered and mounds of sand could be seen in the front and back seat. Skid marks in the sand could also be seen. 

One person joked it was an early start to Saint Patrick's Day in Venice Beach. CHP was withholding the identity of the woman, saying they will release it on Monday morning.