An innocent driver was killed in a violent crash at the end of a police pursuit of a suspected grocery store thief Wednesday in Orange County.
Aerial footage from AIR7 showed the suspect vehicle and two other cars with visible damage. One of the vehicles had crashed into a wall next to a sidewalk.
Fullerton police initiated the pursuit in the city of Fullerton shortly after 12:30 p.m. following a report of a theft at an Albertsons grocery store located in the area of N. Gilbert St. and W. Malvern Ave., the agency said.
The officers tried to pull over the suspect’s white Nissan Rogue but the suspect refused, eventually getting onto the westbound 91 Freeway, the Fullerton Police Department said.
Investigators said that while fleeing from officers, the driver of the suspect vehicle, later identified as 43-year-old Anthony Hanzal, of Anaheim, was involved in a non-injury hit-and-run crash near Brookhurst Rd. and Orangethorpe Ave.
Officers lost sight of the suspect. Buena Park police officers briefly located the suspect vehicle but lost sight of it as well.