A man and woman were killed when a suspected impaired driver being chased by authorities crashed a pickup truck into their car in Inglewood, authorities said Thursday.
Officers saw a blue Dodge pickup truck speeding and running a red light on Century Boulevard near the San Diego (405) Freeway at 10:35 p.m. Wednesday, then the driver got on the northbound San Diego Freeway and officers tried to pull the truck over, but the driver fled, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Franco Pepi.
The suspect exited the freeway at Manchester Avenue and led officers on a pursuit on Inglewood streets, eventually turning north on Glasgow Avenue and crashing into a sedan traveling eastbound on Olive Street, Pepi told NBC4.
The pickup driver ran from the scene, but was quickly captured by officers, Pepi said.
The two victims were trapped in the wreckage and had to be freed by Los Angeles County firefighters. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the man was taken to a hospital, where he died, Pepi said.
The coroner’s office withheld the names of the victims, described only as being in their 20s, pending notification of their relatives. KTLA5 reported that the woman was a 22-year-old phlebotomist — a technician who takes blood samples — who was out with her 27-year-old boyfriend.
Investigators were looking into the possibility the pickup truck driver, whose name was not immediately released, was under the influence of a drug or narcotic at the time of the crash, Pepi said.