A 13-year-old boy in California may be facing felony vehicular manslaughter charges after an alleged joyride in his family car ended with a fiery three-vehicle crash that killed a grandmother and her 4-year-old granddaughter, CBS Sacramento reports.
Officers from the Woodland Police Department observed a vehicle driving erratically in a 25-mph zone Saturday, according to CBS Sacramento. The driver — allegedly the 13-year-old boy — reportedly refused to comply when officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, ostensibly leading police on a chase.
During the pursuit, the teen reportedly lost control of the vehicle and crashed into two other vehicles in an intersection. The impact caused two of the vehicles involved in the collision to catch fire, injuring nearly a dozen people and killing a grandmother named Tina Vital, CBS Sacramento reported. Vital was with two of her children and a 4-year-old grandchild at the time of the crash, according to the outlet. The 4-year-old granddaughter later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital, according to another report by CBS Sacramento.
Police say a fiery crash that killed one person Saturday was caused by a 13-year-old out for a joyride in the family car. https://t.co/zNvX2wQIDL
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 10, 2023
“Unfortunately, kids are young and they do not see their actions have consequences,” Woodland Police Sgt. Victoria Danzl told the outlet in a separate article. “Unfortunately, today this was pretty significant.” (RELATED: Underage ‘Joyride’ Carjackings Represent Rising Challenge For DC-Area Law Enforcement)
Ten people were taken to nearby hospitals with injuries, CBS Sacramento reported. Among them were three children, including the 13-year-old suspect, according to the outlet.
Police subsequently brought the 13-year-old into custody and booked the teen on charges of “vehicular manslaughter with negligence and evading with injuries,” the department announced at roughly 2:25 a.m. Sunday, according to the outlet.
In his first court appearance April 12, the 13-year-old suspect was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, two counts of evading a peace officer causing death, two counts of evading a peace officer causing injury, two counts of evading a peace officer with reckless driving, evading a police officer with driving in the opposite direction, child abuse/endangerment, theft/unauthorized use of a vehicle, and driving without a license, the outlet reported.
Upon hearing the charges, the suspect’s mother reportedly fainted and was taken from the courtroom by ambulance, the outlet stated.
The suspect remains in custody at the Yolo County Juvenile Hall.
Update: This post has been updated to report that the 4-year-old granddaughter later succumbed to her injuries and passed away.