2 Boys Killed in Crash of Stolen Car

Two teenage boys were killed Saturday and three other youths were injured when the stolen car they were riding in swerved out of control and flipped near Palmdale, said a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

The accident occurred at 11:20 a.m. on Avenue Q, east of 110th Street East. The four teenage boys and a 12-year-old girl, who all lived in Lancaster, were headed east on Avenue Q in a 1994 Mercury Sable that was reported stolen in Littlerock about two hours earlier, said Officer Richard Perez.

The CHP said investigators had not yet determined why the car swerved and how fast it was traveling. Perez said officials have also not confirmed who was driving the car, because the survivors gave conflicting statements.

All five youths were ejected from the car, Perez said. “Obviously, they weren’t wearing seat belts,” he said.

Two boys, both about 13, were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.

Another boy, 14-year-old Michael Castillo, was airlifted to Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles with a broken leg and arm. He was in good condition Saturday night, said hospital spokesman Steve Rutledge.

Two others, identified as Jazmine Ortega, 12, and Danny Saavedria, 14, were hospitalized with moderate injuries at Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, Perez said. A nurse supervisor declined to give information about their injuries.

Officials did not release the names of the boys who died because their families had not yet been notified.