Police chase ends with violent crash that kills one person in Winnetka
A woman was killed when her Tesla was struck by a stolen vehicle suspect leading police on a pursuit in Winnetka on Saturday afternoon.
The crash happened at around 1:40 p.m. near the 20500 block of W. Saticoy Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officers say that the pursuit, which involved the driver of an allegedly stolen Mercedes-Benz, began near Corwin Street and Vanowen Street. They were going to pull the car over when things suddenly escalated.
"They waited for backup and our airship to come and support them in that traffic stop, but suddenly that Mercedes took off at a high rate of speed," said LAPD Detective Meghan Aguilar.
About a minute after the chase started the suspect crashed into a Tesla, which then veered into two other uninvolved cars at the intersection of Saticoy and Mason Avenue.
The woman driving the Tesla, since identified by the Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner as 46-year-old West Hills woman Cristina David, was declared dead at the scene. Three others suffered minor injuries as well.
Police arrested the suspect, a man in his 40s, at the scene. They were taken to a nearby hospital for minor injuries suffered in the crash. Witnesses say that he tried to run but was quickly arrested.
On Monday, he was identified as 42-year-old Kevin Joseph Larrea by police. He was booked for murder and remains jailed without bail.
SkyCal flew over the spot of the crash where the allegedly stolen Mercedes could be seen overturned on its side. Dozens of yards away was a severely mangled white Tesla that was covered by a white canopy. Two other cars had considerable damage as well.
