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Two passengers died Saturday night after their SUV collided with a sheriff's patrol car in Palmdale. The accident capped a series of violent officer-involved crashes that left seven dead and several others injured this weekend.
L.A. County Fire officials told the L.A Times the crash in Palmdale took place at around 4:30 p.m. at 17th Street East and Avenue R, and involved a Ford Explorer and patrol car. The two victims, Robert Bobby Delgadillo and Sara Michael Paynter, were ejected from their SUV. Both were pronounced dead at the scene, LA County Coroner's officials said Sunday.
It's not yet clear whether one of the vehicles ran a red light. CHP officials say they're looking into whether the sheriff's patrol car was responding to a call, and if so, whether it had its siren and lights on. officer Tony Polizzi told KPCC.
The deputy was taken to Antelope Valley Hospital with minor injuries, Polizzi said.
Earlier Saturday morning, four people were left dead in Compton after a brief chase with L.A. Sheriff's deputies ended in a dramatic crash and explosion.
The L.A. Times reports deputies pulled over a car at around 3 a.m. Saturday morning after receiving reports that a similar vehicle had been part of a shooting that had just taken place. The car sped off and slammed into another car after running a red light. The Times reports:
After about two miles, the pursued car — carrying a woman and two men — ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle before slamming into a light pole, a brick wall and a garage. After catching fire, it ended up so badly burned that dental records and fingerprints may be needed to officially identify the three occupants, and it could take days to figure out the car's make and model, [Sheriff's Sgt. Peter] Ramirez said.
And earlier on Friday, police and CHP officers were lead on a hour-long high-speed chase that took them from Cudahy in Southeast Los Angeles to downtown, where the driver was shot and killed by officers after running a red light and slamming into another car.
That incident began at around 9:30 p.m., after deputies attempted to pull over a suspected drunken driver in a silver Corvette, The Associated Press reports.
The car sped off, leading officers on a chase that ended with him slamming into another driver at the corner of Olympic Blvd and Los Angeles Street.
NBCLA.com has video of the crash on their site:
The driver was shot multiple times by police as he exited the vehicle and was pronounced dead shortly after, a LAPD spokesman Andy Neiman told the Associated Press.
The L.A. Coroners office later identified him as Brian Newt Beaird, 51, of Oceanside. He died at hospital 43 minutes after being shot, Los Angeles Coroner's Office Capt. John Kades said.
All three crashes are being investigated.
This story has been updated.