A high-speed police chase turned deadly in Southern California when a fleeing driver reportedly reached speeds of 100 mph before slamming into a concrete wall, killing himself and two passengers while leaving another person seriously injured.
The devastating crash happened shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday, November 7, along Interstate 10 in Baldwin Park, a Los Angeles County community about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
According to the California Highway Patrol, officers attempted to pull over a red 2011 Toyota Corolla after spotting the vehicle being driven dangerously on the westbound freeway near West Covina.
But instead of stopping, the driver accelerated, triggering a pursuit that ended in tragedy just minutes later.
Investigators said the Toyota sped along the freeway before the driver attempted to exit at Francisquito Avenue. Traveling at an extremely high speed, the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve on the off-ramp and crashed into a concrete barrier.
CBS Los Angeles reported that the car was traveling approximately 100 mph when it struck the wall, bringing the pursuit to a catastrophic end.
The impact left all four occupants unconscious inside the wrecked vehicle.
CHP officers immediately began providing medical assistance as emergency crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department rushed to the scene.
The male driver was pronounced dead at the crash site.
Three passengers were transported to nearby hospitals with major injuries. Two later died, including a 20-year-old man and a female passenger whose age was not immediately released.
The surviving passenger, also a 20-year-old man, was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Authorities have not provided a detailed update on his condition.
The crash was so severe that investigators closed the Francisquito Avenue off-ramp for several hours while officers documented evidence and reconstructed the collision.
No other vehicles were involved, and no law enforcement officers were reported injured.
Investigators are also examining whether the driver may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs, although no toxicology results have been publicly confirmed.
The identities of the deceased passengers were initially withheld pending notification of their families.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently identified the driver as 19-year-old Daniel Moreno, according to local reports.
The deadly pursuit has raised questions about what prompted the young driver to flee and how an attempted traffic stop escalated into a crash that claimed three lives.
Authorities have not disclosed how long the driver had been traveling at excessive speeds before officers attempted to stop him or whether investigators have recovered additional evidence from the vehicle.
The California Highway Patrol’s Southern Division Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team and Critical Incident Investigation Team are handling the case.
Investigators are reviewing the pursuit, the vehicle’s movements and the circumstances that led to the collision.
For the families of those killed, what began as an early-morning drive ended in a devastating tragedy that unfolded in a matter of minutes.
