Van Crashes in Chase, Killing Teen

A 14-year-old boy in a stolen van being chased by Orange County sheriff’s deputies was killed Saturday when the van’s driver lost control and crashed, officials said.

The van, carrying four young men, went over a median on Knott Avenue at Thelma Street just after midnight and hit a pole. Julio Gallegos of Los Angeles was dead at the scene.

A 15-year-old from Garden Grove was ejected from the van and seriously injured. A 12-year-old from Los Angeles was found trapped inside with serious injuries.

The 17-year-old driver, of Garden Grove, suffered minor injuries and was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest and possession of a stolen vehicle. He is being held at Orange County Juvenile Hall, said sheriff’s Lt. William Francis.

“There will probably be some follow-up charges filed, because someone was killed while committing a crime,” Francis said.

The van was reported stolen in Seal Beach late Friday. A short time later, an Orange County deputy spotted it at Western and Katella avenues in Stanton. The driver refused to pull over, and the deputy, joined by a second patrol car, gave chase, Francis said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department was singled out for praise recently for its strict vehicle chase policy. The ACLU Foundation of Southern California said in a study of 12 law enforcement agencies that the department logged only eight vehicle pursuits in 1995, compared to 816 chases by the Los Angeles Police Department.