Avondale police pursuit ends with vehicle crashing into store, leaving 2 dead

PHOENIX — A vehicle crashed into an Avondale convenience store overnight after police tracked it from allegedly fleeing a traffic stop for reckless driving, leaving multiple people dead, according to authorities.

The passenger of the fleeing car, identified as 16-year-old Julian Lugo-Estrada, died at the hospital after the crash. The vehicle’s adult driver, 18-year-old Sergio Lara-Garcia, died after receiving treatment at the hospital, Phoenix police said.

Police said they attempted to stop the vehicle near Buckeye Road and 91st Avenue around 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning, but the driver fled the scene.

Police track fleeing driver to Avondale convenience store crash

A police helicopter started tracking the vehicle once it was on Interstate 10, north of the attempted stop.

Later while traveling at a high rate of speed near Buckeye Road, Lara-Garcia lost control while driving over railroad tracks and eventually crashed into a Dodge City Market convenience store near Dysart and Buckeye roads. The vehicle caught fire, which spread to the building. The store suffered damages as a result.

The extent of the store’s damages was not immediately clear.

The Phoenix vehicle crimes detectives unit has taken over the investigation.

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