Crash after police pursuit leaves 4 dead in Southern California

  By Samia Khan, NBCLosAngeles.comA short pursuit ended with four people dead in a two-vehicle collision following reports of shots fired in Compton early Saturday morning.Officers responded to a call about shots fired from a vehicle. The caller gave a good description of the suspects and the Sheriff’s Dept. was able to locate the car, resulting in a pursuit that started on Indigo Boulevard in Compton.See original report at NBCLosAngeles.comAfter a five-minute pursuit, the suspects’ vehicle ran a red light and struck an oncoming vehicle at the intersection of South Wilmington Avenue and West Greenleaf Boulevard. The suspects’ car flipped over on the lawn of a nearby home and caught on fire.There were three suspects in the overturned vehicle, and all three were pronounced dead on scene.The female driver of the other car, in her early 20s,  also died in the crash when her vehicle struck a power pole.The victims have not been identified.Related story: Infamous SoCal police chases

Two killed, deputy hurt in California patrol car crash

 By Christina Cocca and Kate Larsen, NBCLosAngeles.comTwo people were killed and two were hurt, including a deputy, after a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department patrol car collided with another car, officials said.The collision between the patrol car and Ford Explorer happened about 4:30 p.m. near 17th Street East and Avenue R in Palmdale, said California Highway Patrol Capt. Gretchen Jacobs.Officials have not said who was at fault in the crash."It's unknown whether the Explorer stopped for a stop sign or not, and we have conflicting information about that," Jacobs said. Officials did not know the speed either of the vehicles was traveling, she said.Corvette Driver Shot, Killed After Hour-Long PursuitThe Ford Explorer had four people inside when it spun out of control. The driver and front passenger were not hurt, but a man and woman in the backseat were thrown from the SUV and killed, officials said.The deputy was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.Video from the scene showed the patrol car on the side of the road with a smashed front end. A tan SUV could be seen near the scene of the crash with damage also on the front end.Debris from the crash was scattered across the road.The female victim was a 20-year-old woman, according to her family members, who were at the scene of the crash. The other victim was her boyfriend, relatives said.The woman's family were screaming and crying as they mourned their loss."My daughter is dead, she is dead," the woman's father could be seen screaming. "That is not ok."The deputy did not have the patrol car siren on at the time of the collision."We do not know at this time what he was responding to," LASD Capt. Don Ford said.A witness at the scene said the intersection where the crash happened is known to be dangerous.Additional details about the crash were not immediately clear.This story was originally published on Sun Dec 15, 2013 3:18 AM EST

Vonn 'excited' for first race since devastating crash

 Nick Didlick / EPALindsey Vonn soars during women's downhill training Wednesday at Lake Louise, Alberta. By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC NewsLindsey Vonn whooshed down a Canadian ski course and crossed the finish line Friday in her first race since she blew out her right knee at the world championships in February.Her preliminary time was a fraction of a second under two minutes — well off the lead at the competition, a World Cup downhill, but successfully down the mountain. The race was held at a resort where Vonn has been so dominant that some people call it Lake Lindsey.There was no immediate word on how she felt after the run.Vonn, 29, tore two ligaments and broke her leg in the brutal crash 10 months ago. She partially tore one of the reconstructed ligaments in another crash last month on a training run in Colorado.She is one of the most decorated skiers in U.S. history and perhaps the most recognizable face in the American contingent for the Sochi Olympics, so the run Friday was closely watched.“You kind of know if your body is ready or not,” she told The Associated Press and USA Today on Thursday in a joint interview, “and I feel like mine’s ready.”Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn goes into detail about the recent accident that tore the ACL ligament in her knee, and says that while she still has intentions to compete in Sochi, she is not completely sure she will be able to perform at her best.She told TODAY a few days after the Colorado injury that the most important thing was feeling stable on her skis.“It’s one thing to feel stable while you’re doing squats — it’s another thing to feel stable while you’re actually racing at 90 miles an hour,” she said. “There definitely is a long ways to go there, but I’m confident that it’s going to be OK.”The Olympics open Feb. 7 on NBC, from the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vonn could compete Feb. 10, 12, 15 and 18.It’s not clear whether boyfriend Tiger Woods will make the trip to Sochi with her. He was asked about it earlier this week, at a golf tournament in California, and said the decision was “just day to day.”“We just don’t know how her leg’s going to be,” he said. “We’ll just take it day to day, race to race.”Vonn won gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In another TODAY interview in October, she vowed — “You better not doubt me” — that she would return to the medal stand. She has been ski-racing's most dominant figure, a four-time World Cup overall champion who has won an American-record 59 World Cup races.Friday presented the next big test, and Vonn probably felt at home: The competition was at Lake Louise, in the Canadian province of Alberta, where Vonn has won the last seven World Cup races and hasn’t placed lower than second since 2008. Her 14 overall victories there are the most of any skier at a single venue in World Cup history.Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn talks about her recovery from a serious knee injury and her struggle with depression. She also describes her teammates as "close friends."Vonn will race in a second downhill on Saturday and a super-G race on Sunday. She entered a training run on Wednesday and placed 22nd, then skipped a training run on Thursday.“She’s saving some energy and maybe protecting her knee a little bit,” Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany, told the AP and USA Today. “It’s a long time ago that she was racing, and everyone is excited for her because she is the big star of (recent) years, and everyone is happy to see her back on the slope.”Vonn said that she waited for swelling after her training run on Wednesday, and none came — “all positive signs.”“I’m really excited. It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “To me, this feels pretty awesome.”The Associated Press contributed to this report.This story was originally published on Fri Dec 6, 2013 1:30 PM EST

Feds order major Metro-North safety changes after deadly crash

   Mark Lennihan / APA Metro-North passenger train lays on it's side after derailing in the Bronx borough of New York, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013. By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC NewsFederal officials on Friday ordered New York's Metro-North commuter railroad to make major safety improvements — starting with two crew members at the controls in some places — to prevent a repeat of the high-speed derailment that killed four people and injured 63 over the weekend.The emergency order from the Federal Railroad Administration requires Metro-North to modify its signal system so that it will automatically slow down a train if the engineer fails to do so in spots where there is a dramatic speed change.Until that happens, two qualified crew members must be in place to operate trains on tracks where the speed limit changes by more than 20 mph.Sunday's accident happened on a sharp curve in the Bronx where the speed limit switches from 70 mph to 30 mph. The train was going 82 mph as it approached the Spuyten Duyvil station, officials said.The engineer, William Rockefeller, was alone in the control cab at the time. He told investigators he simply zoned out and came out of "a daze" too late to slow down, his lawyer said.His cab was equipped with a dead man's pedal that is supposed to stop the train in the event that the engineer is incapacitated and takes his foot off it. Metro-North also has a system to automatically halt a train if the engineer blows a red signal, but it doesn't apply to speed changes.“Safety is our highest priority, and we must do everything we can to learn from this tragic crash and help prevent future derailments,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement accompanying the order. “While we assist the National Transportation Safety Board in carrying out its investigation, this Emergency Order will help ensure that other Metro-North trains travel at appropriate, safe speeds.”Slideshow: Pictures of the Metro-North crashMetro-North is the nation's largest commuter rail system, with 775 miles of track in New York and Connecticut and more than 80 million riders annually. The weekend derailment was its fifth major safety incident since May, when a train jumped the tracks in Connecticut, injuring 72 people."FRA has significant concerns with regard to the railroad's compliance with federal railroad safety regulations and the railroad's own operating rules," the order says.The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs Metro-North, said in a statement that it would comply with the order but did not say how it would modify the signal system."We are examining many other possible steps we can take to improve the safety of our railroad operations, and will continue making every effort to enhance customer and employee safety," the MTA said.Congress has ordered railroads nationwide to install a system known as positive train control, which uses computer and satellite tracking to minimize human error. It's supposed to be in place for most of the country’s passenger and freight rail network by the end of 2015, but it's behind schedule most places.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday he wants to speed up the installation of the system.The focus on safety came as two victims of the derailment were laid to rest: Jim Lovell, 58, an audio technician who did work for TODAY and other NBC programs, and Donna Smith, 54, a paralegal.Related:This story was originally published on Fri Dec 6, 2013 2:44 PM EST

Vonn crosses finish line in first race since brutal crash 10 months ago

  Nick Didlick / EPALindsey Vonn soars during women's downhill training Wednesday at Lake Louise, Alberta. By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC NewsLindsey Vonn whooshed down a Canadian ski course and crossed the finish line Friday in her first race since she blew out her right knee at the world championships in February.Her preliminary time was a fraction of a second under two minutes — well off the lead at the competition, a World Cup downhill, but successfully down the mountain. The race was held at a resort where Vonn has been so dominant that some people call it Lake Lindsey.There was no immediate word on how she felt after the run.Vonn, 29, tore two ligaments and broke her leg in the brutal crash 10 months ago. She partially tore one of the reconstructed ligaments in another crash last month on a training run in Colorado.She is one of the most decorated skiers in U.S. history and perhaps the most recognizable face in the American contingent for the Sochi Olympics, so the run Friday was closely watched.“You kind of know if your body is ready or not,” she told The Associated Press and USA Today on Thursday in a joint interview, “and I feel like mine’s ready.”Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn goes into detail about the recent accident that tore the ACL ligament in her knee, and says that while she still has intentions to compete in Sochi, she is not completely sure she will be able to perform at her best.She told TODAY a few days after the Colorado injury that the most important thing was feeling stable on her skis.“It’s one thing to feel stable while you’re doing squats — it’s another thing to feel stable while you’re actually racing at 90 miles an hour,” she said. “There definitely is a long ways to go there, but I’m confident that it’s going to be OK.”The Olympics open Feb. 7 on NBC, from the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. Vonn could compete Feb. 10, 12, 15 and 18.It’s not clear whether boyfriend Tiger Woods will make the trip to Sochi with her. He was asked about it earlier this week, at a golf tournament in California, and said the decision was “just day to day.”“We just don’t know how her leg’s going to be,” he said. “We’ll just take it day to day, race to race.”Vonn won gold in the downhill and bronze in the super-G at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In another TODAY interview in October, she vowed — “You better not doubt me” — that she would return to the medal stand. She has been ski-racing's most dominant figure, a four-time World Cup overall champion who has won an American-record 59 World Cup races.Friday presented the next big test, and Vonn probably felt at home: The competition was at Lake Louise, in the Canadian province of Alberta, where Vonn has won the last seven World Cup races and hasn’t placed lower than second since 2008. Her 14 overall victories there are the most of any skier at a single venue in World Cup history.Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn talks about her recovery from a serious knee injury and her struggle with depression. She also describes her teammates as "close friends."Vonn will race in a second downhill on Saturday and a super-G race on Sunday. She entered a training run on Wednesday and placed 22nd, then skipped a training run on Thursday.“She’s saving some energy and maybe protecting her knee a little bit,” Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany, told the AP and USA Today. “It’s a long time ago that she was racing, and everyone is excited for her because she is the big star of (recent) years, and everyone is happy to see her back on the slope.”Vonn said that she waited for swelling after her training run on Wednesday, and none came — “all positive signs.”“I’m really excited. It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “To me, this feels pretty awesome.”The Associated Press contributed to this report.This story was originally published on Fri Dec 6, 2013 1:30 PM EST

'Fast and Furious' actor Paul Walker dies in car crash

   Dan Watson / Santa Clarita Valley SignalFirefighters hose down the remains of a red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT following a crash in Valencia, Calif., which killed actor Paul Walker and a friend.By Becky Bratu, Staff Writer, NBC NewsActor Paul Walker, the 40-year-old star of the "Fast & Furious" movie franchise, was killed in a single-car crash in California on Saturday. "We appreciate your patience as we too are stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news," according to a post on his official Facebook page. Emilio Naranjo / EPAThe star of the "Fast & Furious" film franchise died in a car accident on Nov. 30, 2013. He was 40.Walker was a passenger in a friend's car. They had just attended a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide, the post said. "Both lost their lives," it added."Sadly I must confirm that Paul did pass away today in a car accident," Walker's representative Ame Van Iden told NBC News.A fiery crash took place north of Los Angeles in the community of Valencia. Authorities responded to the wreck at about 3:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. ET), the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station told NBCLosAngeles.com. The vehicle was engulfed in flames and extinguished by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, KNBC reported. Authorities found two people inside the vehicle after the fire was put out, officials said. Andre Penner / AP fileActor Paul Walker was killed in a car crash after leaving a charity event on Saturday.Both of its occupants were pronounced dead at the scene, KNBC reported. The cause of the crash is under investigation.At the time of his death, Walker was working on the latest "Fast & Furious" movie.The "Fast & Furious" franchise is a series of action films depicting street racing.A statement released late Saturday by Universal Pictures read: "All of us at Universal are heartbroken. Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the FAST AND FURIOUS films, and to countless fans. We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul's family."NBC News and Universal Pictures are properties of NBCUniversal.Related:This story was originally published on Sat Nov 30, 2013 11:30 PM EST

Icy roads cause 65-vehicle crash in Massachusetts

  Christine Peterson / APA tractor trailer has pinned a red car with Ohio plates against the center barrier on Interstate 290 westbound near exit 14 in Worcester, Mass. on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013. State police report that more than 70 cars, two tractor trailers and a box truck were involved in accidents on the highway. By Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC NewsIcy conditions caused a 65-vehicle crash in Massachusetts on Sunday morning, leaving 35 injured,  authorities said. Mass. State Police via APIn this photo provided by the Massachusetts State Police via Twitter, cars are underneath a tractor-trailer at the scene of a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 290 caused by icy road conditions Sunday morning, Dec. 1, 2013, in downtown Worcester, Mass.Starting just before 7 a.m., Sixty one cars, two trailer trucks and two six-wheel trucks collided in Worcester, Mass., creating a 1,500 foot long chain of impacted vehicles, according to Massachusetts State Police.Recovery teams were delayed in getting to the stretch of Route 290 to treat the 35 injured people because the road had not been sufficiently salted yet.A man and a woman, both in their thirties, were seriously injured, but their specific conditions were unknown, police said.Sixty additional people were bused away from the scene, Massachusetts State Police said.Trooper Erin McLaughlin observed the crash on her way to another crash and tried to prevent further damage by yelling "look out" to drivers. Her police cruiser was rear-ended during her efforts.State Police warned residents from their Twitter account, "Roads are slick in central Mass, Worcester Cty area. If you don't have to go out, wait!"

Jitters at LAX: Car crash prompts gunfire reports

a By Christina Cocca, NBCLosAngeles.comAt the same time the sound of a car crash scared passengers into thinking shots were fired at Los Angeles International Airport Friday, travelers in another terminal were evacuated after a false report of a man with a weapon, airport officials said.Police received a call about 7:30 p.m. of possible shots fired, but upon investigation realized the loud noise of a multiple-car crash outside a parking structure between Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 incited a panic, LAX Police Sgt. Ortiz told NBC4.After hearing the crash, travelers began to evacuate the airport on their own, Ortiz said. No shots were fired at the airport, he said."Part of that (reaction), we believe, is some hypersensitivity to what occurred on Nov. 1, three weeks ago," said LAX Police Chief Patrick Gannon during a news conference outside the airport.Friday's incidents come in the wake of the Nov. 1 shooting when a lone gunman opened fire near Terminal 3, killing a TSA officer and wounding four others.Aerial video showed officials investigating what appeared to be a wrecked SUV or van on the curb near a parking structure.About 8:20 p.m., crowds could be seen gathered outside as police evacuated Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 after an anonymous caller reported a man with a weapon was at Gate 45, airport officials said.At least 2,000 passengers either left the airport on their own or were evacuated by airport police, LAX officials said.About 4,600 arriving and departing travelers were impacted by the incidents, officials said. Delta Airlines (Terminal 5) and American Airlines (Terminal 4) reported a total of 60 delayed flights but no cancellations.Police found no weapon and cleared both terminals for people to return inside just before 9 p.m.Flight operations in Terminal 4 were disrupted as police cleared the airport, and slowly resumed as passengers were screened by security and returned to their gates, officials said.Ambulances could be seen lining the roadway in the pick-up and drop-off area of the airport.

Jitters at LAX: Car crash prompts gunfire reports, causes travelers to flee terminal

a Chris Heric via TwitterOfficers with assault rifles move through a terminal at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday night after reports of gunfire. The reports turned out to be unfounded.By Christina Cocca, NBCLosAngeles.comAt the same time the sound of a car crash scared passengers into thinking shots were fired at Los Angeles International Airport Friday, travelers in another terminal were evacuated after a false report of a man with a weapon, airport officials said.Police received a call about 7:30 p.m. of possible shots fired, but upon investigation realized the loud noise of a car crash outside a parking structure between Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 incited a panic, LAX Police Sgt. Ortiz told NBC4.See original report at NBCLosAngeles.comAerial video showed officials investigating what appeared to be a wrecked SUV or van on the curb near a parking structure.After hearing the crash, travelers began to evacuate the airport on their own, Ortiz said. No shots were fired at the airport, he said.About 8:20 p.m., crowds could be seen gathered outside as police evacuated Terminal 4 after a report of a man with a weapon, airport officials said.Police found no weapon and cleared Terminal 4 for people to return inside just before 9 p.m.Flight operations in Terminal 4 were disrupted but will resume once passengers are screened by security and return to their gates, officials said.Ambulances could be seen lining the roadway in the pick-up and drop-off area of the airport.The incident comes in the wake of the Nov. 1 shooting, during which a lone gunman opened fire near Terminal 3, killing a TSA officer and wounding four others. NBC Los AngelesA wrecked vehicle is seen outside the Terminal 5 parking structure at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday night.

Mom of kids submerged in pond after crash did not have license

a By Tracy Connor, Staff Writer, NBC NewsThe driver of a car that plunged into an ice-cold Minnesota pond — killing two children and leaving three others in critical condition — did not have a valid license, police said Friday.Marion Guerrido, 23, had a learner's permit and should not have been behind the wheel because she did not have a licensed driver in the seat next to her, officials said.Guerrido escaped from the Pontiac Grand Am after it left a highway in a Minneapolis suburb and plunged into an eight-foot-deep pond.But the five children in the sedan — three of them her children, and two the children of her boyfriend — were submerged between 25 and 45 minutes.The kids were unresponsive when divers pulled them from the vehicle. Two of them, 5-year-old Zenavia Rennie and 7-year-old Alarious Coleman-Guerrido, later died. The others, between ages 1 and 6, were being treated at local hospitals."Devastating. It doesn’t get worse than this," said John Sedey, director of the Odyssey Academy charter school in Brooklyn Park, Minn., where four of the children were students.St. Louis Park Fire Chief Steve Koering said the water was so muddy divers had to blindly feel their way around the car. The front window was open, and they pulled three kids through it, then broke a back window to get to the others."The water was extremely dark and murky," he said.Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske said it's unclear how the crash happened. The road was wet but was not icy and there was some fog.Counselors will be on hand at Odyssey Academy on Friday to console children and teachers."They are awesome kids," Laura Montray, a kindergarten teacher who has taught three of the children, told NBC affiliate KARE."They're so sweet and so nice. Just the best kids."Related:Car plunges into pond; 5 children in critical conditionThis story was originally published on Fri Nov 22, 2013 6:50 AM EST