Man Given 30 Years for Killing 3 People While Fleeing Police

A man who led police on a high-speed car chase before plowing into a vehicle and killing his passenger and two women in the other car was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years to life in prison.

Moses Anthony Vargas, 22, was convicted June 23 of second-degree murder in the deaths last year of his best friend, Oscar Garcia, as well as Sung Hye Ko and Kyu Mi Cha--Koreatown waitresses on their way home from work. Won Ja Cho, a co-worker who was car-pooling with them, was severely injured.

The sports car Vargas was driving on the chase from Los Angeles to Glendale had been stolen in San Diego, according to testimony at his 13-day trial.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Alfred Coletta said Vargas had been trying to evade police at speeds of up to 90 m.p.h. during the 10-minute chase on surface streets and freeways. He ran a red light at Colorado Boulevard and Chevy Chase Drive, ramming the other car, Coletta said.

Patrol officers had seen Vargas and Garcia in the stolen car in the Skid Row area of Downtown about midnight June 10, 1992.

The officers trailed the car for several blocks before Vargas realized that he was being followed and sped away, according to testimony.

At the time of the accident, friends of the dead women criticized police for chasing the car through city streets. But authorities said the officers had followed proper procedures.