Police Chase Ends In Fatal Crash After 13-Year-Old Allegedly Steals Car
A woman died in a three-car crash in Woodland, California, on Saturday.
A police chase ended in a fatal, three-car wreck in California over the weekend after officers pursued a 13-year-old who allegedly stole a car.
The Woodland Police Department said in a statement that an officer spotted a car being driven “erratically” Saturday afternoon. The officer attempted to pull over the driver, but the driver evaded police, the statement said. Police gave chase, which ended when the car they were following plowed into two other vehicles at an intersection, causing two vehicles to catch on fire, according to the statement.
A woman was killed in the crash and at least 10 people were injured, including three minors, police later told NBC News. One toddler needed to be airlifted to a hospital due to their injuries.
Police said in their statement that an investigation determined a 13-year-old boy was driving the car they were pursuing. The teen allegedly stole the car from a family member, NBC reports.
Woodland police announced early Sunday that the teen driver had been taken into custody on felony charges of vehicular manslaughter with negligence and evading causing injuries. After the teen is discharged from the hospital, he is expected to be booked into Yolo County Juvenile Hall.
Footage obtained by NBC of the aftermath of the crash shows the extent of the devastation (above). Multiple vehicles are seen mangled and ablaze, with one car resting on top of another.
Family members of the woman who died in the crash told CBS her name was Tina Vital. Vital was in the car with her two children and a grandchild at the time of the crash. Local news station KCRA reports that Vital, 43, died just hours after attending a celebration-of-life ceremony for a family member who had recently died. A makeshift memorial has been set up for Vital at the site of her death.
Manuel Fierro, who went to school with Vital, left flowers at her memorial on Easter Sunday.
“When most of us are getting together with our families today, she won’t be,” Fierro told KCRA. “So I brought her some roses, and just kind of say my farewells to her.”
