LOS ANGELES (CBS) A deadly head-on collision killed a veteran homicide detective and critically wounded another Wednesday evening on Highway 138 just west of the Mojave (15) Freeway in the Cajon Pass.
The accident happened about 7:30 p.m., when a pickup truck tried to pass a big-rig on the two-lane highway, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Ron Sheldon.
"At that time, the two vehicles collided head-on," Seldon said.
The driver of the LAPD car, Detective Abiel Barron, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The 49-year-old had been with the department for almost 20 years. Andrew Teague, also 49 and a 26-year LAPD veteran, was airlifted to Loma Linda Medical Center with major injuries, police said.
Teague was in critical but stable condition Thursday at the San Bernardino County facility, Seldon said.
CBS 2 News reported that Police Chief William Bratton went to the scene as soon as he got the call, and then visited the injured detective at the hospital until about 3:00 a.m.
A third vehicle traveling behind the car -- a Ford Ranger driven by a 50-year-old man from Trabuco Canyon -- was also struck by the Chevrolet pickup as it spun out of control, but the man was not injured, Seldon said.
The detectives, who worked out of Atwater Station, were headed east in an unmarked car, and the pickup was headed west, said Seldon. The detectives' destination was not immediately disclosed, though they were believed to be investigating a homicide case.
Video from the crash site showed a gray sedan with the front end crumpled back to the windshield. The pickup truck's front end was collapsed as well.
Both vehicles were traveling 55-65 mph just before the accident, and CHP officers estimated both were going about 45 mph at impact -- less than the posted speed limit of 55 mph, Sheldon said.
There were no street lights along the two-lane undivided highway, he said.
The man driving the pickup was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center with major injuries, Seldon said.
The 50-year-old, whose name was not immediately released, is likely to face manslaughter charges, said LAPD Lt. Art Miller.
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Reprinted with permission.
