In an ominous turn of events, California witnessed two young brothers meeting their early and unfortunate deaths when a car, which was escaping from a police chase, crashed into theirs, killing the brothers in the process. This information has been cited by People via multiple sources.
Via GoFundMe, which was started by their grandmother, the identities of the boys have been revealed. They are Malikai, 8, and Mason Orozco-Romero,4. Per People, the jail records state that Angel Velazquez Salgado, 20, has been charged with two counts of murder, gross vehicular manslaughter, hit and run, felony evading and driving without a license, jail records indicate.
Salgado did not plead guilty to the charges, per The San Diego Union-Tribune. The crash, according to several media sources, took place on the evening of Dec. 8 on an off-ramp at Interstate 405.
The police were reportedly chasing a BMW allegedly driven by Salgado, which hit the Honda containing the boys and their family, which then crashed into a tree and caught on fire. Additionally, prosecutors elude that Salgado was going at a speed of 100 miles per hour, thereby instigating the crash.
Brittany Phommavong, the organizer of GoFundMe, reiterates that the boys’ mother was left critically injured after the accident but survived. Additionally, she informed on the platform that the father of the boys had passed away a year earlier, leaving only the mother.
Phommavong wrote, “Everyone who knows these kids knows no matter what they were going through they always carried a beautiful smile on their face,” adding, “This tragedy isn’t fair, I’m really lost for words I just appreciate everyone’s love and support.”