Brief Police Chase in Newport Beach Ends in Deadly Crash
- Share via
A Cerritos woman was killed early Saturday in Newport Beach when the driver of the car in which she was riding allegedly led police on a brief chase before colliding with another car and slamming into a garage.
Helen Chu, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another passenger, Kevin Alsing, 24, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Jesse Lee Thompson, 21, of Poway, who police said was driving under the influence of alcohol, was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana where he was treated for moderate injuries and arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, said Newport Beach Police Lt. Tom Gazsi.
The pursuit began about 3:20 a.m. at the Coronado apartments on 16th Street when Thompson sped through several stop signs, Gazsi said.
Thompson tried to turn near Irvine Avenue, but collided with another car and rammed into a garage in the 2200 block of Cliff Drive, police said.
There were no other injuries.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
