According to police, a silver SUV ran a stop sign on Marengo Avenue around 8 p.m. Tuesday, so they pursued it. Blocks later, it T-boned a Mazda minivan on Maple Street.
"I just heard this enormous impact. It sounded quite severe," said Pasadena resident Mark Grimm. "I've lived here for quite a while and heard a lot of crashes at this corner and nothing to ever make that noise."
Inside the minivan were a mother, father their two young children and their niece. The 26-year-old niece, Tracey Ong Tan of Glendale, and an 11-year-old boy died in the crash. Everyone else was rushed to the hospital with moderate injuries.
During the pursuit, a loaded firearm was tossed out of the suspects' vehicle.
The suspects were identified as 18-year-old Jayda Mays of Pasadena, 21-year-old Brittany Washington of Los Angeles, 22-year-old Darrell Williams of Pasadena and 22-year-old Damauria Hannah of Pasadena. They were arrested on suspicion of murder, police said. Two were first taken to the hospital to be checked out for moderate injuries.
Police say Williams was the driver, and they are all gang members.
Police were investigating a fatal shooting in the area, so there were extra officers in the area, and those patrols spotted the silver SUV. Investigators are still trying to determine why the group fled from police after simply running a stop sign.
Police remain unsure if the pursuit was related to the fatal shooting earlier in the day in Pasadena. A gun that was thrown from the pursuit vehicle is being examined to see if it can be linked to the shooting.
