The four brothers waited in the van while their parents collected food.
A 13-year-old girl died after a violent car theft while she and her three siblings waited in their family’s car while their parents went to a restaurant to pick up food.
The incident occurred at approximately 2 p.m. in Pico Rivera, California, when the family parked their van next to a restaurant located near the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Lindsey Avenue and the parents ran to the establishment to pick up food for the family, leaving the four children, ages 18, 13, 11 and 8, were waiting inside the vehicle with the air conditioning running, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
It was then that the suspect, José Aguilar, 26, suddenly jumped into the vehicle and ordered the four children to jump.
“Once the suspect got into the car, the 18-year-old girl briefly fought the suspect and then got out of the truck,” Lt. Barry Hall of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said when addressing the media afterward. of the incident. “The doors were open, because it accelerated both doors were opened in the truck. They pushed her out of the truck or jumped out of the truck just like her 11-year-old brother. “
The 18-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother suffered minor injuries during the altercation with Aguilar.
Aguilar then took off down Whittier Avenue at a high speed of up to 60 mph, according to ABC News’ KABC station in Los Angeles, with the 13-year-old girl and the 8-year-old boy still in the vehicle.
“The vehicle continued west and that’s when the 8-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl got out of the vehicle,” Lt. Hall continued. “They both suffered serious injuries and the 13-year-old girl died at the scene.”
It is unclear if the two children were ejected from the vehicle or if they decided to jump by themselves.
Authorities say the 13-year-old girl hit a stationary object and died on the spot while her 8-year-old brother was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. Her current condition has not been disclosed.
Aguilar continued driving for several miles after the last two children got out of the car before colliding with another vehicle and attempting to steal another car near the Whitter Strait Recreation Center with a father, mother, and child inside.
According to reports, there was a fight between the driver of that car and Aguilar when local street vendors selling fruit saw what was happening and came to the rescue helping to arrest the suspect until officers arrived to arrest him.
“The dad who was trying to buy the fruit jumps back into the car, drowns the guy, and that’s when the guys from the fruit came and helped him, got him out of the car and I think they actually tied him up and detained him. for deputies, “Lt. Hall said as he addressed the media.
Aguilar was arrested and taken into custody. According to KABC, investigators say Aguilar had recently been arrested and released on bail for felony possession of a dagger / dagger and one count of vandalism and was also on probation for a list of other charges.
The tragic incident left the community in shock and the family crying, seeking answers as one of their children is no longer there and another remains in hospital with serious injuries.
Witness Michelle Vaca said: “When I discovered that she was a girl, my heart was touched because I am a mother myself and I can imagine what her mother and father are going through knowing that they lost their son.”
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