A man accused of starting a fire at a Fountain Valley home and then killing an innocent woman during a high-speed police chase is a member of a white supremacist gang with a criminal history, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday. It was announced that.
Timothy Bradford Cole, 43, of Huntington Beach, was charged with multiple felonies, including murder and arson.
Because of his criminal history, which includes six prior strikes, Cole could face up to 70 years to life in prison, plus 48 years and eight months in state prison, if convicted. the prosecutor said.
Investigators said Cole used an accelerant to set fire to the bushes at his sister’s fiancé’s house. Neighbors were able to quickly extinguish the fire.
Two hours later, Fountain Valley police were contacted near the scene of the suspected arson. But instead of stopping, Cole sped off at speeds of 90 mph, running a red light and colliding with a BMW X3, killing 25-year-old Hong Ngoc Nguyen from Vietnam, who was riding in the SUV. A person was injured. .
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement that “no one could have predicted that the chain of events set in motion by a stranger would turn Ms. Nguyen’s American vacation into an American nightmare.”
Authorities believe Cole started the fire at his Fountain Valley home in “apparent retaliation for losing custody of his children after his sister called Child Protective Services.”
Mr. Cole was scheduled to appear in court on December 20th.
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