A man who led local authorities on a chase through Fullerton, Buena Park and La Palma last week tried to get away with robbing Legos from a Fullerton grocery store, prosecutors said this week.
During the pursuit, the suspect allegedly ran a red light in La Palma and hit a 67-year-old driver, killing her.
Anthony Michael Hanzal, 43, of Anaheim, was charged with three felonies: gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, petit larceny and eluding a peace officer causing death. He was allegedly under the influence of drugs during the incident, according to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Hanzal was a second-strike offender, meaning he received two “strikees” for a serious or violent felony under California’s three-strike law. Previous strikes could increase the sentence for the second felony, and a third strike could mean 25 years to life in prison.
On Dec. 18, an undercover Fullerton police officer said he saw Hanzal stuff boxes of Legos into bags at a Fullerton Albertsons store and leave without paying. The officer asked a marked police car to stop, which is when Hanzal sped away, according to the release.
Hanzal allegedly rear-ended someone at a red light before heading west on Highway 91 toward Buena Park. Police chased Hanzal all the way to La Palma, where speeds reached 90 miles per hour on La Palma Boulevard, prosecutors said. Hanzal ran a red light at the intersection of La Palma Boulevard and Moody Street and struck the driver’s seat of 67-year-old Marian Casey’s car. The impact killed her instantly, according to the release. The incident resulted in two vehicles crashing into other motorists and injuring other bystanders.
Video of the accident obtained by ABC 7 shows a white Nissan Rogue SUV running a red light and colliding sideways or T-boning the victim’s blue BMW. After the accident, another SUV waiting at the red light on the opposite side was pushed onto the sidewalk.
Hanzhar is currently being held without bail and faces a maximum sentence of 26 years and four months if convicted of all charges.
Hanzal could not be reached for comment.
“Enough is enough. Actions have consequences and I’m so angry that a drug-addicted repeat offender decided to steal Legos from a grocery store and then lead multiple police agencies on a high-speed chase through Orange County in the middle of the day. , resulting in the death of an elderly woman, Todd Spitzer said in a news release.
