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Two women are dead after a man in a stolen SUV ran a red light and crashed into them, Sacramento officials said. That man, who was later found to be under the influence, was arrested while he was trying to steal another vehicle.
The California Highway Patrol in a release said the man, a 22-year-old from Sacramento, ran a red light going northbound at the intersection of French and Florin roads and broadsided the two women who were traveling westbound on Florin. The impact of that crash forced the car the women were in to hit a nearby white van.
CHP South Sacramento public information officer Mark Leavitt said the two women died at the scene. The driver was a 49-year-old Sacramento woman and her passenger was a 42-year-old Sacramento woman.
Sgt. Amar Gandhi with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said that one of their deputies heard the crash and found the suspect trying to flee the scene. The deputy caught him while he was attempting to carjack another vehicle nearby, according to Gandhi.
Gandhi said that prior to the crash, the sheriff’s office received a report of a purse snatching. The suspect in the Florin Road collision had attempted to steal a women’s car keys at a residence near French and Gerber roads in Sacramento, but she was able to fight him off.
| VIDEO BELOW | Sgt. Gandhi details investigation into deadly crash after carjacking
According to Gandhi, the man proceeded to carjack another vehicle near Billfish Way, the Toyota RAV4 he was driving during the crash.
CHP in its release said the man carjacked that Toyota at knifepoint at 10 a.m.
“The intrusion to the left side [of the victim’s vehicle] is just catastrophic. Unfortunately, the two people that were in that vehicle at the time didn’t stand a chance based on the impact,” Leavitt said.
CHP has closed lanes in both directions on Florin Perkins Road.
Once the man is medically cleared, CHP said he will be arrested under charges related to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony DUI causing injury/death, and felony hit and run.
The identity of the man and the two women have not been released by officials yet.
The family of one of the women has set up a GoFundMe to help with her two children and funeral expenses.
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