High-speed police chase ends in deadly crash

At least one person has died, another has been arrested and two more have been hospitalized after the driver of a BMW started a high-speed chase on a freeway and then collided with a minivan on city streets in South San Jose early Monday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP officers started following the driver of the vehicle, identified as 28-year-old Alexander Zumini, at 3:15 a.m. on southbound Interstate Highway 280 near Seventh Street after they noticed Zumini allegedly driving erratically, CHP Officer Ross Lee said.

After following Zumini south on Highway 280 to southbound U.S. Highway 101, the officers noticed Zumini continuing to drive erratically and attempted to pull him over. Lee said that Zumini refused to stop and fled at speeds of greater than 100 mph, hitting 120 mph and allegedly turning his lights off at one point in the chase.

Lee said Zumini then took the Yerba Buena Road off-ramp and ran the red light at the intersection, colliding with a minivan traveling on a green light on city streets with two men inside. The van came to rest against the sidewalk and the BMW came to rest on the southbound Highway 101 Yerba Buena Road on-ramp.

According to Lee, Zumini tried to flee the scene after the collision but was captured. The driver of the minivan was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman passenger in the BMW was taken to the hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening. She hasn’t been arrested as of 6:50 a.m.

A passenger of the minivan was also transported with serious injuries and is in critical condition Monday morning. Zumini was also transported to a hospital.

Yerba Buena Road is currently closed in both directions at the Highway 101 underpass, Lee said. There is no estimated time of reopening and the San Jose Police Department will be taking over the investigation.