Driver Hurt, Passenger Killed in Police Chase
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NORTHRIDGE — 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 who were double-parked in a 1997 Ford Mustang facing east in a westbound lane on Parthenia Street, making a narcotics transaction, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman.
The driver then turned off the vehicle’s lights, accelerated with excessive speed and crashed into a concrete railroad pillar near Parthenia and Reseda Boulevard, killing the passenger, police said.
The passenger was identified as Jose Israel Victoria, 23, of Winnetka, according to 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.
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