A 25-year-old woman is dead and two others are hospitalized after a man fleeing Fountain Valley police in a truck crashed into her car Monday night, authorities said.
Police arrested Timothy Bradford Cole, 43, of Huntington Beach, after his Dodge Ram crashed into a white BMW at the intersection of Ellis and Magnolia streets just after 10 p.m., Fountain Valley police said. did.
Police said Cole was speeding, ran a red light and collided with a BMW that was heading south.
The three people inside the BMW were rushed to a local trauma center, but one of them, a 25-year-old woman, died on the way. Her name was not released pending notification of next of kin. The other two injured were listed in critical and stable condition, respectively.
Fountain Valley Sergeant Henry Hsu said the two passengers were also in their 20s.
Cole was taken to a trauma center in Long Beach where his injuries are listed in serious but non-life-threatening condition. Sue said he will be scheduled for an appointment once he is discharged from the hospital.
Police said Cole was wanted on suspicion of a domestic dispute and recent arson.
Police claimed Cole poured lighter fluid on bushes next to a home in the Arches Court area of Fountain Valley and then set it on fire. The fire spread to the residence, but was extinguished by residents before police arrived.
Cole was not at the scene of the fire, but police said they spotted his truck in the parking lot of a commercial center off Brookhurst Avenue about a mile away and began surveilling it.
Around 10 p.m., police said they saw Cole get into his truck and start driving.
Hsu said he didn’t know the details of specific surveillance operations, but said Fountain Valley police’s tactics often involve watching from a distance.
“We don’t usually sit right next to cars,” Sue said. “We are using binoculars on the target vehicle.”
Authorities said Cole fled as soon as he saw the vehicle approaching. Less than a minute later, Cole’s truck was involved in a fatal accident.
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