An innocent woman was killed when a fleeing driver triggered a multi-vehicle pileup in Orange County on Wednesday afternoon, according to officials.
The chase began when cops noticed a man “committing a theft” near North Gilbert Street and West Malvern Avenue in Fullerton. According to authorities, he fled in a white Nissan Rogue.
Officers attempted a traffic stop on the suspect car. “The suspect fled, sparking a pursuit,” the Fullerton Police Department said in a statement.
The suspect, later identified as Anthony Hanzel, 40, of Anaheim, was engaged in a non-injury collision near Brookhurst Road and Orangethorpe Avenue while attempting to flee, according to police.
The pursuit continued on the westbound 91 Freeway until the suspect exited at Knott Avenue, where officers lost track of the vehicle.
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La Palma police began pursuing the motorist after seeing him at La Palma Avenue and Walker Street. Moments later, at about 12:50 p.m., the fleeing motorist ran a red light at the junction of La Palma Avenue and Moody Street, colliding with a blue BMW.
“I was at the intersection at a red light, and I saw a police chase happening, and the cars came straight at me going the other way,” Lauren Lau, whose car was minorly damaged, told a photojournalist from OnScene.TV. “There was a complete T-bone.” “Those two cars hit me and then swerved to the side.”
A neighboring security camera captured the impact.
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According to police, the driver of the BMW, a lady in her 60s, sustained major injuries and was pronounced deceased at the site. Her name was not immediately disclosed.
Hanzel was transferred to a nearby hospital with injuries. He will be charged with petty theft, hit-and-run, and felony fleeing, according to Fullerton police.
Reference: Fleeing suspect causes violent crash, killing woman in Southern California
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