Three Dead After High-Speed Police Pursuit Ends in Violent Crash on 10 Freeway in Los Angeles

Violent pursuit crash on Interstate 10

November 7, 2026 · 11:45 a.m. Pacific

A brief high-speed pursuit on the San Bernardino (10) Freeway in eastern Los Angeles County ended in catastrophic violence early Saturday morning when a fleeing sedan traveling at an estimated 100 mph failed to negotiate an exit curve and slammed head-on into a concrete barrier wall, killing three people and leaving a fourth critically injured.

The crash occurred shortly after 4:10 a.m. at the westbound Francisquito Avenue off-ramp along the municipal boundary between Baldwin Park and West Covina. According to the California Highway Patrol, officers had attempted to pull over a red 2011 Toyota Corolla observed speeding recklessly and swerving across multiple traffic lanes near Azusa Avenue.

Rather than pulling to the shoulder, the driver accelerated away from patrol units. The chase lasted barely two minutes before the driver attempted a sudden evasive turn onto the Francisquito off-ramp, careened across the gore point, and struck the concrete retaining wall at high velocity without braking.

Casualties and coroner identification

The impact crushed the entire front half of the sedan, trapping all four occupants inside the vehicle. Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived within minutes and deployed hydraulic cutting tools to extricate the victims.

The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner identified the driver as 35-year-old Daniel Gutierrez Corona of Fontana, California. Corona suffered massive blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. Paramedics rushed the three passengers to nearby regional trauma centers in critical condition.

Hospital officials subsequently confirmed that two of the passengers succumbed to catastrophic internal injuries shortly after admission. The fourth occupant, a young woman, remains hospitalized in intensive care under guarded prognosis. No CHP officers or bystander motorists sustained injuries during the pursuit.

CHP collision reconstruction and DUI probe

CHP Southern Division dispatched its Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) and Critical Incident Investigation Team (CIIT) to conduct a comprehensive forensic reconstruction of the crash scene.

Preliminary toxicology assessments and evidence recovered from the wreckage led investigators to suspect driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or narcotics as a primary factor in both the erratic driving and the decision to flee lawful enforcement. Officers reported finding no visible skid marks leading up to the concrete wall, indicating the vehicle made contact at full pursuit speed.

Caltrans and the CHP issued a SigAlert, shuttering the westbound Francisquito Avenue off-ramp and two right lanes of the 10 Freeway for more than six hours while investigators mapped debris trajectories and cleared fluid spills.

Timeline of the pursuit and collision

How the pursuit developed in the early hours of Saturday, November 7, 2026, according to the California Highway Patrol (all times Pacific):

4:10 a.m. CHP officers patrol westbound I-10 near Azusa Avenue and spot a red Toyota Corolla weaving erratically at high speed.
4:11 a.m. Troopers initiate an enforcement stop; the driver fails to yield, accelerates to 100 mph, and initiates a pursuit.
4:13 a.m. Fleeing vehicle attempts a high-speed exit at Francisquito Avenue, loses control on the curve, and impacts the concrete barrier wall head-on.
4:18 a.m. LA County Fire Department rescue units arrive, beginning heavy extrication of four trapped occupants.
4:30 a.m. Driver Daniel Gutierrez Corona is pronounced dead at the scene; three passengers are transported under code-3 emergency status.
6:45 a.m. Hospital personnel confirm two passengers have succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll to three.

Where it happened: Francisquito Avenue off-ramp

The star marks the westbound 10 Freeway exit at Francisquito Avenue in Baldwin Park / West Covina, where the vehicle struck the barrier.

★ Westbound 10 Freeway at Francisquito Avenue off-ramp, Los Angeles County, California. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

CHP Southern Division alert on X

The California Highway Patrol Southern Division traffic desk posted highway closures and pursuit details to X during the investigation.

SIGALERT: Baldwin Park. Westbound I-10 at Francisquito Ave, the off-ramp is closed due to a fatal traffic collision investigation following a short pursuit. Expect heavy morning delays in the San Gabriel Valley.
— CHP Southern Div (@CHPsouthern) Read the alert on X

Check @CHPsouthern on X for commuter advisories, SigAlert cancelations, and highway safety notifications.

Research and verification notes

Reporting synthesized from primary documentation released by the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Area office, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, and independent reporting by CBS News Los Angeles, MyNewsLA, and the Los Angeles Times.

Pursuit protocols: The CHP reported the vehicle pursuit adhered to department high-speed pursuit guidelines given the suspect's erratic trajectory and immediate public danger along the active interstate corridor.