Slashing Suspect Dies in Car Crash During Chase

A man suspected of slashing three West Valinda people with a machete Monday died when his car crashed and exploded in flames on the San Gabriel River Freeway after a brief chase by sheriff’s deputies.

The 6:40 p.m. attack apparently followed a contentious narcotics deal at the suspect’s home in the 600 block of Vineland Avenue in West Valinda, said Sgt. Jeff Scroggin at the sheriff’s Industry substation.

The victims included the suspect’s girlfriend and another man and woman, Scroggin said.

“He wanted more money for the drugs; they wouldn’t give it to him,” Scroggin said.

The male victim “had a severe arm injury; it wasn’t severed, but it was serious,” Scroggin said. “The women’s injuries were minor.”

After the assault, the suspect, whose identity was being withheld pending notification of next of kin, fled in a car.

During the one-minute chase by sheriff’s deputies, a fire began inside the car before it plowed into a sound wall on the northbound side of the freeway near Washington Avenue in Santa Fe Springs, Scroggin said.

Moments before the crash, deputies reportedly saw the suspect, who was believed to have been about 30, reach into his jacket pocket and possibly try to set something on fire, authorities said.

Deputies tried to rescue the driver, but were driven back by the flames.