A Long Beach resident and five dogs were killed after another vehicle struck her car when she was at a stop sign, according to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) this week.
Officers said that on Tuesday, May 7, at approximately 11:30am, they were involved in a pursuit of a stolen vehicle, which later collided into another car, resulting in the death of 41-year-old Jessica Bingaman.
The stolen car was initially located at the Broadway and Alamitos intersection, and officers attempted a traffic stop. The LBPD stated that the suspect refused to stop and drove away, which initiated the pursuit.
The suspect car in question– a 2016 Nissan van– was being driven by Javier Olivarez, a 43-year-old resident of Los Angeles. The department said he was traveling eastbound on 3rd Street and approaching Temple Avenue when he failed to stop for a posted stop sign while evading marked black-and-white police vehicles.
During that pursuit, the driver of a black 2013 Ford Escape, Bingaman, was traveling northbound on Temple Avenue after stopping at the stop sign at 3rd Street, where she was struck by the white 2016 Nissan– which also crashed into three additional parked vehicles.
Officers said Bingaman was transported to a local hospital by the Long Beach Fire Department and was later pronounced deceased due to major traumatic injuries sustained during the collision. Olivarez was also transported to a local hospital for minor injuries sustained.
Six dogs were being transported in the 2013 Ford as part of a dog daycare service. Four dogs passed away at the scene and two were transported to a local pet hospital. Subsequently, a fifth dog passed away at the pet hospital due to its injuries, and the remaining surviving dog has been released to its owners from the hospital, according to the LBPD.
Olivarez was booked for evading a police officer, felony DUI, vehicular manslaughter, grand theft auto and had an outstanding no-bail warrant for a post-release community supervision violation involving a robbery. He is being held at the Long Beach City Jail with no bail. The LBPD stated that collision-investigations detectives expect to present their case to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office “in the near future.”
Those with information regarding the collision can contact the Long Beach Police Department’s Collision Investigation Detail at (562) 570-7110. Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to a smartphone or visiting lacrimestoppers.org.
