2 Die In Fatal La Verne Car Chase Crash, 3 Injured

LA VERNE, CA — Two people lost their lives and several were injured after a fatal car chase crash in La Verne, officials reported.

The car being chased by police in La Verne slammed into another vehicle. Both drivers perished, and a total of three passengers in the two vehicles were hospitalized Friday morning in critical condition, according to La Verne police.

A red Acura Integra failed to stop at a stop sign, and then again at a red light in the area of White Avenue and Arrow Highway just before 9 p.m. on Thursday.

When police attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver fled northbound on White Avenue from First Street and a pursuit began, according to a statement from the La Verne Police Department.

The chase lasted less than a mile and ended when the Integra crashed into a black Toyota Corolla near the intersection of White Avenue and College Lane, police said.

"The driver of the red car was speeding up White (Avenue), going northbound, and t-boned the black car," a witness identified as Nathan told media from the scene. "I guess there was a chase that was just starting."

Paramedics transported two people in the Corolla to the hospital. Three passengers in the Integra were also taken to a hospital in critical condition. Both drivers were pronounced dead, police said.

The driver of the Corolla was identified as Marlet Reyes, 68, of La Verne. The name of the Integra driver and the three other patients were not disclosed.

White Avenue between College Lane and Towne Center Drive was closed until about 7 a.m. Friday while an investigation was conducted, police said.

The crash was being investigated by the California Highway Patrol's Major Accident Investigation Team.

Anyone who witnessed the crash was asked to call the La Verne Police Department at 909-596-1913.

City News Service contributed to this report.