Pursuit that ended in deadly crash in Orange County started when suspect stole Legos from grocery store, prosecutors say

Prosecutors say that the high-speed chase that ended with a violent and deadly crash in La Palma on Dec. 18 started when the suspect allegedly stole boxes of Legos from a grocery store. 

In a press release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office issued on Monday, details on the wild chase that ran from Fullerton to La Palma were released. 

Anthony Michael Hanzal, a 43-year-old Anaheim man who is a second-striker, took multiple boxes of Legos from an Albertsons store in Fullerton and placed them in a bag. Instead of paying, he walked out of the store, which prompted the undercover Fullerton Police Department officer who witnessed the theft to follow him. 

"The plain clothes officer followed the man's car in an unmarked police car and called for a marked vehicle to make a traffic stop," the release said. "When the uniformed police officer tried to pull the suspected thief over, he made a quick right turn onto Brookhurst and sped off."

During the chase, at which speeds reached up to 90 miles per hour on surface streets, Hanzal rear-ended a car stopped at a red light, drove along the 91 Freeway before exiting in Buena Park. The chase continued, this time with Buena Park Police Department officers following behind.It came to a violent end when Hanzal ran through a red light, colliding with the driver's side of a BMW. 

The force of the crash, which happened at the intersection of La Palma Avenue and Moody Street, killed the innocent driver who has since been identified as 67-year-old Marianna Mildred Casey. 

Hanzal is accused of being under the influence at the time of the crash, prosecutors said. He has been charged with one felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated as well as one felony count of evading a peace officer causing death and one felony count of petty theft with two prior convictions.

If convicted of all charges, he faces up to 26 years and four months in prison. He remains behind bars without bail and is scheduled for arraignment on Jan. 6.

"Enough is enough. Actions have consequences and I am mad as hell that an elderly woman is dead because a drug addicted repeat thief decided to steal Legos from a grocery store and then lead multiple police agencies on a high-speed chase through Orange County in the middle of the day," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer in a statement. "Marianne Casey's family should be planning their holiday celebrations and instead they are planning a funeral because California's soft-on-crime policies have created an environment where there is no accountability. Those days are over, and while may be of little comfort to Marianne Casey's loved ones, if you commit crimes in Orange County, there will be consequences for your actions and there will be justice for victims."