NORTHRIDGE — A 19-year-old who was uninvolved in a police pursuit early Thursday morning in Northridge was killed in a crash involving the suspect’s vehicle, and the driver of the vehicle being chased was arrested after running from the scene.
Los Angeles Police Department officers were chasing armed robbery suspects in a dark-colored SUV just before 1 a.m. after they attempted to make a traffic stop, when the suspects’ westbound vehicle on Roscoe Boulevard ran a red light and crashed into a southbound black sedan on Lindley Avenue, according to the LAPD and reports from the scene.
The driver of the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. He was identified by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office as Erick Barbosa-Guardado, 19, of Reseda.
The driver and a passenger in the SUV ran from the scene and were pursued on foot by officers. Police set up a perimeter and later captured the suspect driver, the LAPD reported. His name was not immediately available for release.
The search was continuing for the second suspect, police said.
Barbosa-Guardado is at least the fifth innocent bystander killed as a result of crashes involving law enforcement pursuits in the past month.
On Jan. 31, two men were killed when their car was struck by the driver of an allegedly stolen pickup who was fleeing police in Panorama City. On Feb. 5, a man and his wife were killed in a crash at the end of a pursuit near the border of Lynwood and South Gate involving suspects who were allegedly stealing catalytic converters. One of the suspects in that chase also died in the crash.
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