Palmdale man charged with murder of 2-year-old girl
High-speed pursuit crash
LANCASTER, Calif.—A Palmdale man was charged with murder today in connection with a high-speed pursuit crash in Lancaster that killed a 2-year-old girl and seriously injured her mother.
Marvin Travon Hicks, 45, was charged with one count each of murder and felony evading an officer causing injury, according to prosecutors, who are asking that his bail be set at $1.1 million. Hicks was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at the Lancaster Courthouse.
On Thursday, Hicks allegedly led sheriff’s deputies on a chase with speeds reaching 100 mph. He was driving west on Avenue I when he slammed his black Toyota into a blue Lexus at 10th Street West, killing 2-year-old Madison Faye Ruano and seriously injuring her mother, Tina Marie Ruano, according to police and prosecutors.
Sgt. Paul Pfrehm of the Los Angeles County sheriff’s Lancaster Station said the suspect was first seen by deputies when he ran a red light on Sierra Highway, just minutes before the fatal collision.
“A sheriff’s unit initiated a brief pursuit after seeing the vehicle being driven recklessly at a high rate of speed,” Pfrehm said. “The suspect continued northbound on Sierra Highway running red-lighted traffic signals.”
The man refused to stop for deputies and at times drove the wrong way on streets, according to the sheriff’s department.
It was unclear if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the collision, Pfrehm said.
If convicted, Hicks faces up to life in prison.
LANCASTER, Calif.—Three new felony counts were filed today against a Palmdale man accused of leading sheriff's deputies on a high-speed pursuit in Lancaster last month that ended in a crash that killed a 2-year-old girl and seriously injured her mother.
Marvin Travon Hicks—already charged with murder and evading an officer causing injury—was charged today with one count each of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI causing injury and evading an officer causing death.
Keller Williams Realty, in conjunction with Palmdale and the Antelope Valley Mall, announced the results of their recent Red Day events.
Between their food drive and Red Day Walk, the groups raised $12,645 in cash and more than 10,000 pounds of food for local charities including South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES), Grace Resources, the WAVE Foundation and the American Cancer Society.
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — Peter Sagan of Slovakia sprinted past Australian Michael Matthews to win today’s third stage of the Tour of California, the nation’s largest cycling event.
Sagan completed the 110.3-mile stage from Palmdale to Santa Clarita in four hours, 20 minutes, 31 seconds. Each of the next 99 cyclists were credited with the same time.
“The last three kilometers were crazy with all the sprinters who wanted to win,” Sagan said.
PALMDALE, Calif. — The eighth edition of the Tour of California begins two days of racing in Los Angeles County today with a 110.3-mile stage from Palmdale to Santa Clarita.
The 121 cyclists will leave from Marie Kerr Park at 11:20 a.m. for a stage that will feature racing through the hills north of Santa Clarita along San Francisquito Canyon and a 22-mile climb up Lake Hughes Road, followed by a gradual 18-mile descent down Spunky Canyon and Bouquet Road.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Southland again will bake in dry heat today, creating what the National Weather Service (NWS) called an “elevated fire danger” falling short of red flag conditions.
“A strong upper-level high-pressure system in combination with weak onshore flow near the surface brought record-breaking triple-digit heat to portions of the valleys and foothills on Sunday,” noted an NWS advisory.
