Police arrested a Hacienda Heights woman after she struck two women who were crossing Whittier Boulevard in La Habra with her car — fatally injuring one of them — before leading officers on a chase that ended in a crash, authorities said.
Caroline Kim, 20, was expected to be booked on suspicion of hit-and-run, evading police and vehicular manslaughter once released from the hospital, where she remained under observation Saturday, La Habra police Sgt. Clint Angle said.
Orange County coroner’s did not release the dead woman’s name, however police initially described her as a 38-year-old La Habra resident, Angle said.
She was crossing Whittier Boulevard at Rigsby Street just before 9 p.m. with another woman when both pedestrians were struck by a Cadillac sedan, Angle said.
“They were crossing northbound,” the sergeant said. “The suspect was westbound on Whittier Boulevard.”
The 38-year-old woman suffered major injuries and was taken to the University of California, Irvine Medical Center, where she died from her injuries a short time later, Angle said.
The other woman struck by the car suffered injuries to both of her feet, officials added.
An acquaintance of the women who witnessed the crash sprained his ankle while rushing to assist but was not struck but he Cadillac, Angle said. The man was also taken to a hospital by paramedics.
The car that struck the women fled the scene.
But Whittier police soon received a call from a motorist who was following the alleged hit-and-run driver.
Whittier Police Lt. Steve Dean said officers picked up the vehicle on Colima Road, but she refused to pull over. The car reached speeds as high as 90 mph.
The chase ended on Countrywood Avenue and Pepper Brook Way in Hacienda Heights when the Cadillac hit a parked car, and officers took Kim into custody, Dean said.
The driver told officers she was fine and didn’t want to be transported to a hospital, the lieutenant said. But paramedics took the woman to a hospital as a precaution.
The circumstances of the initial hit-and-run remained under investigation by La Habra police traffic investigators.

– Brian Day and Ruby Gonzales