Not really. He was careless to the extreme by going way to fast. It was within a city for Christ's sake. You have to expect people to cross the streets especially since he didn't use any means to warn them (sirens or even just the blue lights).
How did he expect to avoid a crash while going that fast without warning people?
A car at that speed in a city is a threat to all the people on the streets and that is exactly what a police officer is not supposed to be.
Sure he has to go fast in order to stay in touch with the other car, but he exaggerated it in an irresponsible manner and someone had to pay the ultimate price for that.