Car Flees Police, Hits Pillar; 1 Dies, 1 Hurt

A brief police chase ended early Thursday in a crash that killed a passenger and critically injured the driver, authorities said.

The pursuit began about 2 a.m., when police approached two men in a car that was double-parked facing east in a westbound lane of Parthenia Street. The men were allegedly making a narcotics transaction, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.

The driver turned off the vehicle’s lights, sped off and crashed into a concrete railroad pillar near Parthenia and Reseda Boulevard. Jose Israel Victoria, 23, of Winnetka, the passenger, was killed, said Capt. David Campbell of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.

Driver Abraham Valdez, 22, of Reseda faces murder charges, police said. He was in critical condition at Northridge Hospital Medical Center. From Times Staff Reports