Huntington Beach Police Seek Mustang Tied to Major Crash

Police sought help Friday in the search for a black Mustang that ran a red light, sending a Pontiac that swerved out of the way careening into two telephone poles and trapping two occupants for an 1 1/2 hours.

Twenty-five firefighters working to free the pair used the Jaws of Life, a tow truck and other equipment to pull the Pontiac apart in a rescue that one firefighter described as the most difficult of his career.

The car was wrapped around the pole so tightly that the steering column was thrust into the passenger seat and the driver’s legs were crammed into a 4-by-4-inch space, fire officials said. Driver Aaron M. Brown, 18, of Stanton remained conscious throughout the rescue, screaming every time firefighters cut the vehicle in an effort to relieve the pressure and pry the car apart, the officials said.

At one point, firefighters hooked the car to a tree with a chain and used a special tool to stretch the metal, spreading the crushed car out.

The 1995 two-door hardtop Mustang has a partial license plate number of “3LKY,” said Sgt. Bill Martin. The driver, traveling east on Atlanta Avenue about 8:40 p.m. Thursday, ran the light and turned right onto Beach Boulevard directly in front of a late 1980s Pontiac Firebird.

Brown lost control of the Pontiac, sliding down Beach Boulevard, jumping the curb and striking a metal light pole, cutting it off at the base and sending a third of it crashing down on the car. The car then came to rest wrapped around a nearby wooden pole, Martin said.

The two cars never touched, but police are still considering the accident a hit-and-run. Brown and one passenger, Vivian Torres, 40, of Stanton, were both airlifted to UCI Medical Center in Orange. Two other passengers, 15-year-old Vincent Houseal of Stanton and an unidentified 15-year-old, suffered only minor injuries and were able to free themselves from the wreckage, fire officials said.

A UCI nursing supervisor said Brown was transferred to a Kaiser hospital on Thursday with major leg and lower body injuries. However, Kaiser could find no record of him late Friday.

Torres was in fair and stable condition Friday with head and upper body injuries, a hospital spokeswoman said.