1 Dies at Hospital After Multi-Vehicle Traffic Collision; 1 Arrested, 2 Outstanding

West Covina, Los Angeles County, CA: A traffic collision involving multiple vehicles left one person trapped in need of rescue and medical aid, and one truck on its side in the city of West Covina Thursday night, before the subject involved fled the scene.

West Covina Police Department and firefighters responded to a three-vehicle traffic collision with one vehicle overturned at South Sunset and West Cameron avenues just after 9:00 p.m., Dec. 1.

Once officers and firefighters arrived on scene, they located all three vehicles with one pickup truck on its side and a second vehicle, a Honda, with major driver side damage and one person trapped inside.

Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to extricate the victim from the Honda and transported the patient with CPR in progress to a local hospital.

West Covina PD had the intersection of Sunset and Cameron closed as they investigated the traffic collision.

The West Covina Police Department stated in a press release posted on Facebook Friday evening, that the victim transported to the hospital later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.

The press release included further details of the incident that a subject involved in the collision fled the scene on foot and was observed by witnesses in the area.

“Officers located the involved subject and he was identified as Luis Banuelos, 32, resident of Long Beach. Investigation revealed the subject was involved in a theft from a nearby business and was fleeing the scene leading up to the traffic collision,” stated the release.

The investigation is ongoing and involves the West Covina Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) and detectives with the Investigation & Support Services Division (ISSD).

Luis Banuelos was arrested and booked at the West Covina Police Department for assault with a deadly weapon, DUI, and hit-and-run with injury, according to the release.

The department said there are two more outstanding unidentified suspects that fled the scene. Anyone with information is asked to contact the West Covina Police Department at (626) 939-8653.

Randy Dominguez, Video Journalist / KNN