Boy, 9, in Father’s Car, Kills Man in High-Speed Chase by Police

A 9-year-old boy driving his father’s car led police on a high-speed chase through Gardena early today, hitting speeds exceeding 100 m.p.h. before smashing into a car and killing its driver, police said.

The boy, whose name was not released due to his age, was treated at Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center for minor injuries and was booked on suspicion of manslaughter, evading arrest and hit-and-run driving, Lt. Ross Weddle said.

He was to be released to his parents with a future hearing in juvenile court.

The incident began about 1:30 a.m. when the youth took his father’s car for “a joy ride that went bad,” Weddle said. He purportedly took the car without his father’s permission.

The boy struck several parked cars near his parent’s home in the suburban community about 15 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. He drove through a front lawn and hit a house, evaded pursuing police at speeds exceeding 100 m.p.h. and then ran a red light before hitting a car at Imperial Highway and Normandie Avenue, Weddle said.

Bobby N. Colvin, 36, of Los Angeles, the driver of the car hit by the youth, was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.