A severe incident at a 7-Eleven parking lot in South Gate claimed the lives of two drivers early Monday morning.
Moments after responding to a domestic violence call, officers discovered a brutal wreck outside a convenience shop in South Gate, killing both the offender and an innocent driver.
Residents tell Eyewitness News that the crossroads of Imperial Highway and Garfield Avenue, where the fatal crash occurred at 6 a.m. Monday, is not particularly safe.
Those who live and work in the area say they witness accidents at the crossing all the time, but what happened on Memorial Day morning was one of the most severe.
The incident began with a domestic violence call on Exeter Street in Paramount, roughly four miles from the tragedy.
The caller stated that the suspect was arguing with someone outside his apartment for more than an hour. When deputies arrived, the suspect drove away, police said.
According to South Gate police, a man was in the turn lane at the crossroads when a domestic violence suspect fleeing sheriff’s officers hit the innocent motorist at such high speeds that the suspect’s automobile flew into the parking lot of a nearby 7-Eleven, landing on top of an unoccupied parked car.
“It is a risky intersection with a significant volume of cars. Just like I said. “I’ve never seen an accident like this before,” said Anthony Linares, a neighboring resident. “This one’s absolutely crazy. To crash into a tree like that, the car had to be going insanely fast. That’s not the typical type of accident you see.”
According to police, the innocent driver died at the spot. The domestic violence suspect was declared dead at a local hospital.
Sheriff’s deputies searching for the domestic violence suspect discovered the crash scene after losing track of the suspect’s vehicle.
“It’s tragic because the innocent individual may have been on their way to work or something, unaware of what was about to happen. “Just very tragic,” Linares added.
“Many accidents happen. There are a lot of accidents, and the car moves at a high pace. People, particularly on Imperial Highway, especially in the morning, when it is vacant. People drive at excessive speeds. “No control,” stated Mutasem Shoman, the owner of a T-mobile store located just feet away from the crash site.
Shoman urges the city and county to do more to make the crossroads safer.
“They need to do something on the street. More cameras, bumps in the street to prevent people from speeding, or something. “It’s a neighborhood,” Shoman explained.
Deputies lost sight of the domestic violence suspect before the fatal incident, thus it is not being investigated as a police chase that resulted in a crash.
Reference: Domestic violence suspect and innocent driver killed in violent crash in South Gate, police say
