Family Hurt in Crash After Dispute at ATM
A man was critically injured and his wife and 2-year-old daughter were seriously hurt when a confrontation at an ATM in Garden Grove Sunday night triggered a chase that ended in a crash, officials said.
The incident began about 9 p.m. at a Washington Mutual branch at Harbor and Garden Grove boulevards, police said. Jonathan Chacon, 19, of Orange and Claudia Torres, 25, of Garden Grove were standing next to each other when Chacon began to yell at her, said Garden Grove Police Lt. Mike Handfield.
“He was upset that his ATM card didn’t work, and he moved his frustration on her,” Handfield said. “He started calling her profanities.”
Torres returned to her family’s Ford Explorer. She, her husband, Javier Adame, 24, and their daughter were chased by Chacon as he cursed at them, police said.
The cars collided near Newhope Street and Garden Grove Boulevard, and the Explorer hit a light pole. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to pull Adame from the wreckage.
He suffered massive head and internal injuries and was in critical condition Monday at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.
Torres and her daughter were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange.
Police arrested Chacon on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was being held at Orange County Jail for violating probation for a recent drug charge, police said.
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