Mom dies, 2 boys injured after Hercules police chase stolen car suspect

HERCULES, Calif. - A man in an allegedly stolen car was arrested Thursday following a fatal collision in Hercules that left a mother dead and her two children injured.

Ralph Ellsworth White III, 20, of Vallejo, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, possession of a stolen vehicle and three counts of pursuit causing death or great bodily injury, according to the Hercules Police Department.

On Thursday at 7:27 p.m., officers received information from the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office about a stolen 2021 Mazda SUV heading toward Hercules on eastbound I-80.

An officer with the Hercules Police Department saw the SUV exit the highway onto northbound Willow Avenue.

Police said the driver of the Mazda began to accelerate, and the officer chased it for a short time before the Mazda collided with a 2017 Nissan traveling south on Willow Avenue.

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The driver of the Mazda, identified as White, got out of the vehicle and ran northbound onto Parker Avenue.

Police set up a perimeter, and White was located a short time later and was taken into custody.

The driver of the Nissan, a 31-year-old mother of twin boys, who were also in the vehicle, was killed in the collision, police said.

The 6-year-old boys were injured in the collision and transported to the hospital.