A boy was killed and three other minors were injured early Thursday morning in Saratoga after a law enforcement chase ended with the pursuit vehicle colliding with a tree, according to a press release from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office on Thanksgiving.
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputies attempted to stop the driver of a white Hyundai Elantra at South De Anza Boulevard and Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino after allegedly determining that the vehicle had been stolen from San Jose.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, the driver, who was allegedly wearing a face mask and hooded sweater, refused to pull over and led deputies on a chase that ended around 3 a.m. in Saratoga, when the Elantra crashed into a tree near Saratoga Los Gatos Road and Via Colina.
The male driver allegedly fled the scene before being apprehended by sheriff’s deputies, who discovered an unloaded firearm magazine nearby.
A male passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver and two other passengers, both girls, were hospitalized.
According to a press release from the Sheriff’s Office, one was in stable condition while the other two were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver will be arrested after being treated for his injuries and booked into Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall on charges of vehicular manslaughter, felony evading, possession of a stolen vehicle, and other offenses.
The victim’s name will be released once his family is notified by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Traffic Accident Reconstruction Specialist Team, or STARS Team, is investigating the collision, and roads in Saratoga were closed on Thanksgiving at Via Colina and El Camino Grande.
