Crash After Pursuit in Gardena Leaves 2 Dead, 1 Injured

During the pursuit, the driver ran a red light at the intersection of South Broadway at West Redondo Beach Boulevard in Gardena and then crashed with a gray SUV

Two people were killed in a crash after a high-speed pursuit that originated in Compton, where officers attempted to break up a street racing "side show" early Sunday morning.

The pursuit started just before 2:45 a.m. after California Highway Patrol officers tried to pull over an orange Toyota Scion driving in "doughnuts" in the middle of South Main Street and Compton Avenue, CHP Officer Edgar Figueroa said.

During the pursuit, the driver ran a red light at the intersection of South Broadway at West Redondo Beach Boulevard in Gardena and slammed into a gray Suburban, officials said.

The driver and a passenger in the Scion died, officials said. The driver was identified on Monday as Anthony Lizardo, 21, of Los Angeles, the CHP said. The passenger was identified as Jose Ortiz, 35, of Inglewood.

The driver of the Suburban was taken to Harbor UCLA Medical Center with minor injuries, officials said.

Reza Nejad, the owner of a body shop near where the crash took place, said parts of the vehicle flew onto the property.

"You use to think it was cool when you were younger but when you have a kid you realize this can happen to anybody," he said.

Police Chases

Video from Southern California's police pursuits and follow-ups on what happened after the chase

Pickup chase ends under downtown Los Angeles freeway

Watch: Pickup driver cuts across lawns and stops to pick up bag in Alhambra chase

Melissa Etezadi contributed to this report.

Contact Us