Man who led Seal Beach police on chase before deadly crash was wanted by federal authorities

SEAL BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A man who led Seal Beach police on a chase that ended in a deadly multi-car crash Tuesday night was wanted by the U.S. Marshal's Office, officials said.

The chase began when a Seal Beach Police Department officer stopped a couple in a silver 2006 Lexus sedan at around 8 p.m. Tuesday for a traffic violation near Marina Drive and Pacific Coast Highway, according to Seal Beach police Lt. Julia Clasby.

"While the officer was conducting a records check of the female, the male moved into the driver's seat and accelerated away from the location of the stop," Clasby said in a news release.

The suspect, Chaz Lamar Long, a 39-year-old resident of Antioch, allegedly refused to stop and kept driving on PCH. At one point, police said Long briefly drove on the wrong side of the road.

After a brief chase, the fleeing driver ran a red light and slammed into eight cars at PCH and 2nd Street in Long Beach, Clasby said.

RELATED: 1 killed, multiple others injured, including infant, after chase ends in crash in Long Beach

Police said a woman switched seats with a male passenger while officers were conducting a traffic stop. He then led police on chase, all with an infant in the car.

Long allegedly ran away from the scene, but was taken into custody after an officer used a Taser on him.

Clasby told reporters Wednesday night that an infant and the female passenger were inside the vehicle with Long.

The woman was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital. Her name was not released. An infant in the vehicle with the suspects was taken to a hospital for observation.

Clasby said police later discovered Long had an outstanding federal no-bail warrant for weapons violations. He was also transported to a hospital for unspecified injuries but was later released.

Several other people involved in the collision were injured and taken to hospitals, police said.

The Los Angeles County coroner's office on Wednesday identified the woman killed in the crash as Sara Shorteno, 74, of Toronto, Canada.

She was a passenger in one of the vehicles involved in the collision with the suspects' car, Clasby said.

Long was booked on suspicion of murder, felony child endangerment, felony evading and felony hit-and-run, according to the Long Beach Police Department.

Seal Beach police say Long's relationship to the woman and baby in the car are unknown.

City News Service contributed to this report.