A gang member crashed his car into a Fresno home while fleeing sheriff’s deputies Wednesday night, killing two young women inside, authorities said.
The victims were identified as sisters Mang Yang, 25, and Eliza Yang, 18, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver, Adam Canales, 18, was arrested on charges of eluding police and vehicular homicide, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Younger than 21, he also faces a misdemeanor charge of driving with alcohol in his system.
Canales is a known gang member on probation for possession of a firearm.
The crash happened around 9:47 p.m. when sheriff’s deputies assigned to a gang unit were patrolling southeast Fresno.
Deputies witnessed a disturbance among a group of possible gang members at Verrue Avenue and Eighth Street. As they approached the scene, Canales jumped into a white Chevy Tahoe and sped away, running a stop sign, officials said.
A deputy turned on his lights and siren to make a traffic stop, but Canales refused to stop, instead speeding up. During a 27-second chase, Canales ran a stop sign, crossed a roadway and crashed through a fence and into a house.
He then got out of his car and fled the scene. With the help of the Fresno police helicopter, deputies found him at a home in the 4500 block of East Ball Avenue around 10 p.m. Canales was turned over to the deputies, taken to the hospital for evaluation and booked into the Fresno County Jail.
Firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the crash and found two women killed in the home.