Pursuit near Watts ends in deadly 7-car crash; suspect not old enough to drive
A pursuit near Watts ended in a deadly 7-car crash near the 105 freeway on Thursday.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, deputies were chasing the reckless driving suspect, behind the wheel of what was reportedly a stolen Kia Sportage, before they crashed into an uninvolved vehicle in the 11600 block of S. Central Avenue in South Los Angeles at the off-ramp of the 105 Freeway.
Deputies detained two people from the vehicle. While the chase was initially prompted due to the suspect's reckless driving, they learned that the car they were driving was stolen from Compton more than a week ago.
Law enforcement said that the suspects, who were said to be under the influence of alcohol, were not old enough to drive, being 14 and 15-years-old, respectively.
Los Angeles County Fire Department crews required hydraulic tools to remove the two from the vehicle before they were handcuffed to gurneys and taken to a nearby hospital, where they were said to be in serious condition.
According to deputies, the chase lasted for less than a minute.
"It was 40 seconds or less," said LASD Assistant Sheriff of Patrol Operations Bruce Chase. "They actually hadn't even caught up to the vehicle yet to make a decision on whether to back of or continue the pursuit."
The 37-year-old man, now identified as Alexis Covarrubias, driving the uninvolved vehicle was killed in the collision. Their name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.
As a result, California Highway Patrol issued a Sigalert for the Central Avenue off-ramp of the westbound 105 Freeway for several hours as they conducted an investigation and crews cleared the area of wreckage.
"She told me that she was driving along and all of the sudden cars and metal and all kinds of stuff just started flying everywhere," said Alex McGinnis, the father of one of drivers who had their car smashed into by the suspects.
Family members of the people involved in the crash were waiting at a nearby gas station hoping to hear any news of their loved ones.