Woman and 5 dogs killed after police pursuit ends in crash in Long Beach
A woman and five dogs traveling with her were killed Tuesday in Long Beach after a man fleeing police in a stolen van crashed into her vehicle, police said.
Long Beach police tried to pull over the van near Broadway and Alamitos Avenue around noon, but the driver refused to stop, authorities said.
Officers pursued the van for about a mile and a half until it crashed into a car near East Third Street and Temple Avenue, police said. Witnesses told KTLA-TV Channel 5 the van was speeding through a residential neighborhood when it crashed and sent a tire flying into the wall of a nearby home.
The woman was taken to a local hospital, where she later died. Officers said four of the six dogs in her car were killed in the collision. One died at a local veterinarian’s office, and another dog is in critical condition.
The driver of the van was later identified as Javier Oliverez, 43, of Los Angeles, who police say is a known gang member.
Oliverez was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, evading a police officer and felony driving under the influence, police said. He is being held without bail at the Long Beach City Jail.
The Los Angeles County coroner’s office said the woman, whom it did not identify, was in her 40s. Witnesses and neighbors told KTLA she was a local dog-walker and mother who lived nearby.
Twitter: @jpanzar
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