FOUNTAIN VALLEY (CNS) - A high-speed police chase of an arson suspect ended in a fiery, violent rollover crash in Fountain Valley that left a woman dead and the suspect and two other people hospitalized, authorities said Tuesday.
The collision occurred around 10 p.m. Monday near Ellis Avenue and Magnolia Street, according to the Fountain Valley Police Department.
According to police, the events leading to the pursuit began about 7:30 p.m. Monday, when officers went to a residence in the 18000 block of Arches Court "in reference to an arson that just occurred."
"Investigation revealed because of an ongoing domestic dispute, a known suspect doused a bush adjacent to the home with lighter fluid and lit it on fire," a police statement said. "The fire engulfed the bush in flames and spread to the structure of the home."
The fire was extinguished by residents before officers arrived, police said.
"Using investigative resources, officers located the suspect's unoccupied vehicle, a white Dodge Ram truck, in a parking lot in the 17900 block of Brookhurst (Street) in Fountain Valley," the police statement said.
"Officers conducted surveillance of the Dodge, and at approximately 10 p.m., the suspect was seen entering the Dodge and drove toward Brookhurst Street," the statement said. "Upon seeing marked police cars closing in, the suspect fled southbound Brookhurst at a high rate of speed, and officers initiated a pursuit. The pursuit terminated on Ellis and Magnolia when the Dodge collided with a white BMW X3 in the intersection."
Officers arrested 43-year-old Timothy Bradford Cole, of Huntington Beach, police said. It was unclear what charges he might face, police said.
"Officers ... rendered medical aid to three occupants in the BMW while awaiting paramedics," the statement said. "The pursuit traveled less than a mile in the span of less than a minute.
"Preliminary investigation showed during the pursuit, the suspect drove at a high rate of speed against a red traffic light westbound Ellis through Magnolia and collided with the BMW traveling northbound on Magnolia," the statement said.
"The three occupants of the BMW were transported to a local trauma center, and the suspect was transported to a trauma center in Long Beach," the statement said.
"A 25-year-old female passenger from Huntington Beach in the BMW was pronounced deceased on the way to the trauma center," the statement said.
Her name was withheld, pending notification of her relatives.
"The other two victims are listed in critical and stable condition, and the suspect is listed in serious condition with non-life-threatening injuries," the statement said.
Any witnesses or persons with information about the collision are encouraged to call the Fountain Valley Police Department at 714-593-4485.