Suspect in high-speed chase was previously charged with grand theft, child cruelty and drug possession.
A man suspected in a high-speed chase that ended in two fatal crashes has been charged with six felonies in an incident that unfolded over three-and-a-half hours in a suburban area on Friday, authorities said.
The suspect was charged with four counts of vehicular homicide, assault-with-a-deadly-weapon and possession of methamphetamines, according to the Riverside County Sheriffs Department. He was detained and taken into custody without incident.
The fatal crashes occurred in the 9200 block of Senter Road around 1:23 p.m. on Friday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The first crash caused the death of an 8-year-old, the department said. It happened after a car driven by Anthony Williams, 34, of Riverside, led authorities on a chase through south Riverside County. A pursuit began in front of the Rialto Theater on Senter Road when Williams drove onto the movie theater’s private parking lot, CHP officials say.
The man then drove from the lot to an industrial business park in the 9200 block of PCH Road where he was pulled over and arrested after an hourlong chase ending with two fatal crashes.
In the first crash, Williams hit a curb head-on, killing a 16-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother. The daughter was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The second crash occurred when Williams drove the wrong way on PCH Road. He slammed into a tree before crashing into a wall, killing an 18-month-old boy. He then drove a short distance onto the sidewalk, where he had a second run-in with a wall and a parked van. He was taken into custody after that.
“We are all heartbroken and will be praying for the family of the victims in both of these crashes,” said Capt. Dave Brooks of the California Highway Patrol.