Two Sacramento women killed in crash after carjacking suspect ran red light, CHP says
Two Sacramento women died in a three-vehicle crash Thursday morning after a suspected carjacker ran a red light in the stolen vehicle, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Stephanie Phan Ha, 49, was the driver of a gray 2022 Nissan sedan, and her friend, Linh Phan, 42, was her passenger in the car, according to their families. The women were pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from the CHP South Sacramento Area Office.
Jonathan Arredondo-Garcia, 22, of Sacramento was the driver in the carjacked small silver 2014 Toyota sport utility vehicle, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. He was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital.
The CHP said he is suspected of being under the influence of a drug. He was arrested on suspicion driving under the influence, causing death. He also will face charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and felony hit-and-run once he’s been released from the hospital and booked at the Sacramento County Jail. His name had not been released Thursday evening.
The vehicle crash was reported shortly after 10:15 a.m. at Florin and French roads in south Sacramento. The incident that led to the fatal crash unfolded earlier Thursday morning.
Reported purse snatching leads to carjacking
The Sheriff’s Office received a report of a purse snatching. Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a sheriff’s spokesman said a man tried to steal a woman’s car keys at a home near French and Gerber Roads, but the victim fought off the suspect.
The attempted theft occurred several blocks south of where the fatal crash would later occur. Gandhi said the suspect then carjacked another vehicle near Billfish Way, several blocks southeast of the reported purse snatching. The CHP said the suspect reportedly committed the carjacking at knifepoint about 10 a.m.
The Sacramento women who died in the crash were heading west in the gray Nissan in the Florin and French roads intersection. The CHP said the silver Toyota SUV ran the red light and broadsided the Nissan, pushing the car in a northwesterly direction before it struck a white 2005 Ford van.
A 65-year-old Las Vegas man driving the Ford van, which was stopped before the collision, reported complaints of pain after the crash.
The CHP said the driver of the stolen Toyota SUV tried to leave immediately following the crash by attempting to carjack another vehicle.
The sheriff’s spokesman said deputies were in the area supervising work project jail inmates cleaning a nearby site. Gandhi said the deputies heard the vehicle crash, and one of the deputies ran over to investigate. The CHP said the sheriff’s deputy spotted that suspect and placed him in custody.
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Two Sacramento women killed in crash after carjacking suspect ran red light, CHP says."
