Road Rage Suspected in Crash That Injures 2

In an apparent act of road rage, a Sun Valley man struck a sport-utility vehicle with his van Thursday afternoon, sending the vehicle spinning out of control on a freeway and injuring its two occupants, authorities said.

Pascal Soto, 58, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and booked into Van Nuys Jail.

The incident occurred about 2:35 p.m. when Soto was driving northbound on the San Diego Freeway near the Golden State Freeway interchange, California Highway Patrol Officer Richard Perez said.

“It looks like it’s a classic case of road rage,” Perez said.

Soto, who was driving a 1999 Chevrolet Astro van, began weaving in and out of traffic after he was cut off by Rene Francis, 38, of Santa Clarita, Perez said. Soto then struck Francis’ Toyota 4Runner, causing the vehicle to go out of control, Perez said.

Witnesses told the CHP that the vehicle struck the median and overturned. Two other vehicles crashed as they tried to avoid the accident. Those drivers were uninjured.

Francis was taken to Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar, where she was listed in good condition. Her passenger, Anne Marie Sloan, 35, also of Santa Clarita, suffered major injuries and was listed in critical condition at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

Three northbound lanes of the San Diego Freeway were closed for more than two hours, Perez said.