Southern California police pursuit of East Bay man ends in crash, 1 killed and 7 others injured
A 74-year-old woman was killed and seven other people injured when a Seal Beach police pursuit ended with a multi-vehicle crash in Long Beach on Tuesday night, March 28, authorities said.
The incident began at around 8 p.m. when a Seal Beach officer stopped a car for a Vehicle Code violation, which the department declined to reveal.
The 2006 Lexus sedan was occupied by a woman driver, an infant, and a 39-year-old man who was a passenger.
After an officer started talking with the driver, at some point, the passenger slid into the driver’s seat and sped away with all three occupants still inside, police said.
The Lexus took off northbound on Pacific Coast Highway, with police in pursuit. The chase went through the Old Towne neighborhood in Seal Beach, with the suspect veering in and out of the southbound lanes, Seal Beach Police spokeswoman and Lt. Julia Clasby said.
Five minutes later, the Lexus collided — with eight other vehicles getting entangled as well at Pacific Coast Highway and Second Street in Long Beach.
After a short foot pursuit, the man, Chaz Lamar Long of Antioch, was Tased and taken into custody.
The Long Beach Fire Department used the Jaws of Life to extract at least some of the victims.
Five of the victims were critically injured and taken to a hospital. The woman and the infant were injured and hospitalized, but it was unclear if they were among the critically injured.
Sara Shorteno, a resident of Toronto who was a passenger in one of the struck vehicles, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Scmitpal Singh was waiting at a red light at the intersection when he saw the suspect’s vehicle barreling toward him. Singh estimated the Lexus was going 80 to 90 mph when the crash occurred.
“My car is OK,” Singh told reporters at the scene. “It got a little bit hit but not much.”
His family was with him; no one in that car was injured.
Seal Beach police were investigating the crash, including whether the pursuit was within department policy.
Long was booked on suspicion of murder, felony child endangerment, felony evading, and felony hit-and-run, Long Beach police said. He was in custody on Wednesday with a $2 million bail amount.
Long also had an outstanding federal no-bail warrant for weapons violations, authorities said.