LONG BEACH (CNS) - A routine traffic stop turned deadly for a woman and her four dogs this morning when an alleged gang member evading police plowed a stolen van into her vehicle, killing her and the canines, police said.
Javier Oliverez, 43, who police described as a known gang member who had violated his parole, was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and other alleged offenses after the deadly crash at the end of a short pursuit, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Officers initiated the pursuit about 11:30 a.m. after spotting the stolen vehicle near the intersection of Broadway and Alamitos Avenue and trying to pull over the stolen vehicle that Oliverez was driving, according to LBPD Public Information Officer Arantxa Chavarria.
The pursuit ended when the van Oliverez was driving slammed into the unidentified woman's vehicle at the intersection of East Third Street and Temple Avenue, Chavarria said.
The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. Her name was withheld pending notification of her next of kin.
Four of the six canines in the woman's vehicle perished in the collision and the two that survived were taken to a local veterinarian, Chavarria said.
Long Beach Animal Services later reported that one of those dogs also died, according to NBC4.
Oliverez was taken to a hospital. Besides being suspected of vehicular manslaughter and DUI, he was also booked on suspicion of evading police and the parole violation, Chavarria said.
He was being held at the Long Beach City Jail with no bail.