Pursuit suspect killed after crashing into home in South Pasadena

A 20-year-old Altadena man died Friday morning, Sept. 19, after crashing a reportedly stolen car into a home in South Pasadena following a brief pursuit in Pasadena, authorities said.

It was the second time a car had crashed into the same South Pasadena house in a little more than two years, South Pasadena spokeswoman Jennifer Colby confirmed Friday.

Pasadena police received a license plate reading showing that a gray 2020 Dodge Charger was stolen and was being driven in the area of Orange Grove Boulevard and Green Street just after 5 a.m., Pasadena police Lt. Matt Campeau said.

Officers found the car and attempted to pull over the driver, but he sped away, initiating a brief pursuit that started westbound on Del Rosa Drive, then southbound on Grand Avenue and eastbound on Ellis Street before the driver got back to Orange Grove and continued southbound, Campeau said.

“Due to the suspect’s excessive speed and reckless driving, the pursuit was canceled” in the area of Orange Grove and California boulevards, Campeau said. The pursuit had lasted about a minute.

The driver continued southbound, but lost control about a mile away at Orange Grove Boulevard and Oliver Street and crashed into a house just before 5:05 a.m., South Pasadena police Lt. Shannon Robledo said.

Southbound Orange Grove Boulevard veers to the right just before the intersection with Oliver Street and turns into Orange Grove Avenue south of Oliver.

Officers arrived within minutes and found the driver with significant injuries, Robledo said. They attempted CPR before firefighters took the driver to a hospital, where he died.

Colby said no other injuries were reported. Whether anyone was inside the house when the crash occurred was not immediately known. How badly the house was damaged was under investigation.

The driver’s identity was withheld by police pending notification of his relatives.

The car was reported stolen out of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast Division on Sunday, Sept. 14, Robledo said.

In August 2023, David Josue Silva Garcia was accused of speeding southbound on Orange Grove Avenue at about 100 miles per hour when he lost control and slammed into the garage of a home at Orange Grove Avenue and Oliver Street, killing one passenger and injuring himself and another passenger.

Silva Garcia was arrested in February, more than a year after the crash, and charged with murder, driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol content of .08% or higher. His case is still pending in court.