Escondido 13 year old female driver fleeing cops kills two California homeless men with mom’s car after losing control of SUV while going out for a joyride with teen girlfriend.
A joyride that led to tragedy…
A 13-year-old female driver fleeing police lost control of her mother’s SUV, which she’d taken without permission, and crashed, killing two homeless men who were sleeping in the bushes along the road according to authorities.
The incident began just before 11:30 p.m. Friday, when an officer tried to pull over a Ford Explorer for a traffic violation according to a release via Escondido, California, Police.
‘What the officer didn’t know at the time is that the car was being driven by a 13-year-old girl from Vista who took her mom’s car without her knowing,’ Lt Kevin Toth said. ‘The girl’s juvenile friend was a passenger in the car.’
The girl sped off as the officer approached the vehicle, Toth said. About a half mile down the road, the girl tried to turn left, but instead lost control and slid into a planter in front of a San Diego Gas & Electric transfer facility.
Homeless left to sleep on the streets
Officers quickly caught up and arrested the two girls inside the vehicle, discovering the two victims in the process. One of the men was pronounced dead on the scene, and the other died from his injuries at a hospital.
Many homeless are going to shelters during this cold, wet winter, but not all.
‘We’ve got a lot of folks that are urban campers; choose to be out there and be left alone,’ Alpha Project CEO Bob McElroy told via CBS8.
The teen girls were released to their parents, Toth said, and officials are working to identify the two men.
Toth said investigators will work with the District Attorney on all charges.
