Cristina David Obituary, Death; – A woman who lost her life over the weekend after being struck by a driver engaged in a police pursuit in Winnetka has been named. Cristina David, aged 46, succumbed to her injuries at the scene of the accident on Saturday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley area.
At the time of the incident, she was operating a Tesla traveling west on Saticoy Street when her vehicle was impacted by a white SUV heading south on Mason Avenue. The driver of the SUV, who was fleeing from law enforcement following a report of an auto theft, allegedly ran a red light prior to the collision, according to police reports.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department indicated that the chase lasted approximately one minute before the driver disregarded the traffic signal. David was pronounced dead at the scene, and memorial items were placed over the weekend at a site near the crash location. Several occupants of other vehicles involved in the incident sustained injuries.
The stolen SUV ultimately came to rest on its side. The LAPD reported the arrest of 42-year-old Kevin Joseph Larrea on Sunday, identifying him as the suspect in the pursuit. He has been charged with murder and is currently being held without bail.
A report presented to the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners in 2023 noted that there were around 4,200 police pursuits by the LAPD from 2018 through March 2023, with approximately 25% resulting in fatal or injury-related crashes.
