Father, 3-year-old daughter fatally injured when truck crashes into Long Beach apartment

A father and his 3-year-old daughter were fatally injured Tuesday night when a pickup truck crashed into a Long Beach apartment building, authorities said.

Long Beach police responded about 10 p.m. to reports of a vehicle having crashed into a building around Artesia Boulevard and Rose Avenue, the department said in a news release.

Officers found a 2014 Dodge Ram embedded in an apartment building in the 6600 block of Rose Avenue. Multiple residents inside the building were injured in the crash, police said.

First responders arrived and pronounced a 42-year-old man dead at the scene, police said. His 3-year-old daughter was taken to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries. The man was identified as Jose Palacios Gonzalez by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. His daughter’s name has not been released.

A preliminary investigation found the truck was speeding north on Rose Avenue when it left the road and struck the apartment building, police said.

Authorities are searching for the driver, described as a man approximately 20 to 25 years old, who fled the scene on foot. Speed is “believed to be a factor in the collision,” police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dets. Kevin Johansen or Jeff Meyer at (562) 570-7355.