Crime & Safety
Man Accused of Causing Fatal Crash to Face a Judge
Police officials say the man led police on a high speed chase then slammed into and killed an innocent bystander.
A man killed in a crash at the end of a police pursuit in Pomona was identified, while the transient suspected of stealing a truck and causing the wreck was tentatively scheduled to appear in court Tuesday.
Jesus Bugarin Mercadom, 54, of Pomona, was killed in the crash, which occurred around 5:45 p.m. Sunday at Towne and La Verne avenues, according to fire and coroner's officials.
The suspect, 33-year-old Brian Vance Coleman, was hospitalized after the crash, but he was booked Monday at the Claremont Police Department, according to Lt. Michael Ciszek.
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According to police, a silver pickup truck was reported stolen in Rancho Cucamonga around 4:30 a.m. Sunday and later spotted by a Claremont police officer. The driver of the truck fled before the officer could pull him over near Towne Avenue and Arrow Highway, according to police.
The suspect ran a red light at Towne and La Verne avenues in Pomona and broadsided Mercadom's black sedan in the intersection.
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After the collision, the truck crashed into a tree and the suspect ran off, but he was arrested by a Claremont officer a short distance away, police said.
The truck's owner, Kimberly McWilliam, was emotional about her truck having been involved in a fatal accident.
She told KCAL9: "Stealing it is one thing. But when you kill someone? What is so important about that truck that you had to have it that bad? I don't get it. And every time I think of that man being killed ... I'm going to start crying again. I feel so bad."