Victim of road-rage crash dies
Danney Ball
Dead man's wife and daughter also hurt when their SUV is rammed by a driver who had confronted them moments earlier at a bank ATM.
By JOHN McDONALD
The Orange
County Register
GARDEN GROVE – A motorist injured in a crash that police said resulted from another driver’s road rage has died, officials said today.
Javier Adame, 24, of Garden Grove was pronounced dead at 5:20 p.m. Monday at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, Garden Grove police Lt. Mike Handfield said. Adame’s wife, Claudia Torres, 25, and their 2-year-old daughter also were injured in the crash.
Handfield said Adame’s death likely will prompt police to ask the District Attorney’s Office to file homicide charges against Jonathan Chacon, 19, of Orange. Chacon was being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
The incident began at about 9 p.m. Sunday at an outside bank automated teller machine at Harbor Boulevard and Palm Street. Chacon reportedly grew frustrated with his malfunctioning ATM card, and he began to shout obscenities at Torres, who also was there to use the ATM.
She climbed into the back seat of the family’s Ford Explorer, and her husband drove off to get away from Chacon. Chacon followed in his Nissan pickup.
Police said they believe Chacon followed the family along Garden Grove Boulevard and rammed their SUV at least once. The impact caused the Explorer to spin out of control and slam into a concrete light pole near the intersection of Safford Street. Rescuers had to cut Adame out of the wreckage.
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