Two people were killed in a traffic accident in Clairemont late Monday night after San Diego police launched a high-speed chase.

This brings the number of such deaths to three in the last week alone, while the debate over the agency’s pursuits continues.

Police Chief Scott Wahl said an officer attempted to stop a driver for speeding, but the driver did not stop.

The officer pursued the car but then decided the pursuit was going too fast and ended it, he said. But the speeding car collided with another police car carrying two other officers.

Both the police officer driving and the driver of the speeding car died.

OnScene TV reported that the driver was 14 or 15 years old, but Wahl told reporters he could not confirm the age.

The other officer is in intensive care, Wahl said.

“Due to the magnitude of this situation and the emotions surrounding it, we have asked the Highway Patrol to conduct an independent investigation into this accident to fully reconstruct the exact sequence of events,” he said.

Two children, 4-year-old Mason and 8-year-old Malikai Orozco-Romero, were killed in a SDPD chase in December.

In response, the City of San Diego Commission on Police Practices reviewed the department’s vehicle pursuit policies.

They found that most of these chases start over trivial offenses, such as speeding or running a red light. They endanger not only suspects, but also passers-by and police officers.

Last month, they recommended that the SDPD limit chases to violent crimes.

The San Diego Police Officers Association opposed the proposal, calling it appalling and dangerous.

Last week, another person died during an SDPD chase after losing control of their vehicle.

The Commission on Police Practices declined to comment on the status of its recommendations on Tuesday.