A woman died after a suspected thief crashed her car while fleeing from police in La Palma on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.
The victim, identified as a 60-year-old woman driving a blue BMW, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Fullerton Police Department.
The driver of the other vehicle – identified by authorities as Anthony Hanzel, 40, of Anaheim – was taken to a hospital and treated for injuries, police said.
Hanzel will be booked into the Fullerton City Jail on charges including hit and run, petit larceny and criminal eluding, authorities said. The Orange County Sheriff's Department will investigate the fatal crash.
Surveillance video shared by OnScene.TV shows a white Nissan Rogue run a red light and hit a blue BMW, sending it into the intersection of La Palma Avenue and Moody Street. Both of these vehicles are seen colliding with three vehicles sitting at the light.
“I was at an intersection with a red light, and I saw the police chasing and cars coming straight at me going the other way,” Lauren Lau, whose car sustained minor damage, told OnScene.TV. “There was a complete T-bone and then those two cars hit me and went sideways.”
The pursuit began after a Fullerton police detective saw a burglary suspect fleeing the area of North Gilbert Street and West Malvern Avenue at 12:38 p.m., police said.
The police tried to stop the suspect who fled. During the pursuit, the suspect was involved in a crash at Brookhurst Road and Orangethorpe Avenue, police said.
The driver then sped onto the westbound 91 Freeway and onto Knott Avenue, where officers lost track of the vehicle, police said.
Buena Park Police Department officers saw the suspect's vehicle briefly, but then disappeared again. La Palma Police Department officers then spotted the vehicle near La Palma Avenue and Walker Street and gave chase. The suspect crashed a short time later.
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