2 Men Killed, 1 Injured in Antelope Valley Crash

Two men were killed early Saturday when the car they were in plunged off an elevated section of the Antelope Valley Freeway and landed on Avenue J, striking a power pole, authorities said.

The driver, Wayne Easter Jr., 28, of Carson, and a passenger, Roy Lee Brown Jr., 31, of Palmdale, who was in the front seat of the 1999 Toyota Camry, died in the crash. Both men were wearing seat belts, the California Highway Patrol said.

A third passenger, Calvin Brown Jr., 21, of Compton, who was in the back seat, was in critical condition at Antelope Valley Hospital, a hospital spokesman said.

Brown, who was not wearing a seat belt, had multiple injuries to his head and spine, and broken bones, authorities said.

The car was traveling an estimated 100 mph in a southbound lane about 3:30 a.m. when Easter lost control of the car, authorities said. The car vaulted off the freeway and landed in the eastbound lanes of Avenue J, slamming into a power pole, CHP Officer Frank Sansone said.

The impact sliced the pole, and the downed lines sparked a small brush fire, authorities said. Both sides of the freeway were closed for three hours.