Man dies, 9-year-old girl injured in high-speed pursuit crash in Santa Ana
A man was killed and his 9-year-old daughter was injured Sunday in a high-speed police pursuit that ended in a crash in Santa Ana, authorities said.
The pursuit started about 10:30 p.m. when police received a report of a man who brandished a weapon in the 1600 block of South Main Street, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told reporters at the scene.
When officers spotted the vehicle and tried to stop it, he said, the driver sped off.
Officers lost sight of the vehicle, but later spotted the crash. The man had hit a utility pole in the 1400 block of Warner Avenue.
The 40-year-old Costa Mesa resident, who has not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers did not know his daughter was in the car until they approached the crash and noticed she was trapped in the backseat, Bertagna said.
Firefighters used hydraulic equipment to remove the girl from the car as live wires sparked nearby, he said. She was taken to a hospital and listed in stable condition, Bertagna said.
When authorities searched the car, he said, they found $13,000, a half-pound to a pound of narcotics and a loaded weapon.
Bertagna said the man had three no-bail warrants – all stemming from narcotics-related offenses.
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