Eric Barbosa's family said he was employed at a Marshalls department store in Granada Hills and was on his way home from working the night shift when his car was struck.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, shortly after 12:30 a.m. officers spotted an SUV that was being sought in connection with an armed robbery that occurred Wednesday.
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The officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop at White Oak Avenue and Roscoe Boulevard, but the driver refused to pull over and the pursuit began, an LAPD spokesperson said.
The suspects' SUV was heading westbound on Roscoe when it went through a red light and slammed into a car that was traveling southbound on Lindley Avenue. The chase lasted less than a mile.
Barbosa was pronounced dead at the scene. The force of the high-speed impact left both vehicles mangled.
The suspect driver was taken into custody after fleeing on foot, and a loaded rifle was recovered from inside the SUV, police said.
2 lifelong friends ID'd as victims killed in Panorama City crash involving driver of stolen truck
2 lifelong friends ID'd as victims killed in Panorama City crash involving driver of stolen truck
The second suspect, a passenger, also fled on foot and remained at large. A description of that person was not available.
Barbosa was a brother to a 5-year-old sister and a sophomore studying civil engineering at CSUN.
Thursday's crash was the second pursuit collision in as many weeks that involved the LAPD and left an innocent person dead.
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"There's a balance test," police Lt. Letisia Ruiz told reporters at the scene in Northridge. "Officers assess the risk versus the gain. In this instance they were following an armed suspect -- what they believed, at least. It was an armed and dangerous vehicle, which ended up in the arrest of the suspect who was wanted.
"We do understand that these types of pursuits can lead to dangerous situations."