A 23-year-old motorist was killed when her sedan was hit by a suspect going nearly 100 mph and fleeing from sheriff’s deputies in Cabazon, authorities said Friday.
Carlie Membrino of Banning was fatally injured at 9:35 p.m. Thursday on Seminole Drive at Malki Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
According to the CHP and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, about 9:30 p.m., patrol deputies spotted a man at the wheel of a Ford Mustang, going in the wrong direction on Seminole, near Apache Trail, and suspected that he was driving under the influence.
“Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver failed to yield, and a pursuit was initiated,” according to a sheriff’s statement.
CHP Officer Jonathan Torres said that the roughly mile-long chase “traveled westbound on Seminole at speeds of 90 to 95 mph.”
He said Membrino was in her Nissan Versa, stopped at the intersection of Seminole and Malki, preparing to turn southbound onto Malki when the Mustang approached from behind with deputies on its tail.
“The driver of the Ford did not stop,” Torres said. “As a result, the driver of the Ford allowed it to crash into the rear of the Nissan.”
After slamming into the compact car, the Mustang skidded into a gas station, hitting the business and triggering a fire, according to sheriff’s officials.
The gas pumps were not ignited, and county fire department crews arrived minutes later and doused the blaze. No one inside the building was hurt.
Paramedics pronounced Membrino dead at the scene.
The driver of the Mustang was seriously injured and taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs for treatment. His identity was not immediately released, and the sheriff’s department did not say whether investigators intended to proceed with seeking charges against him.