A motorist fleeing police ran a stop sign and crashed into a pickup truck in Tulare County southeast of Fresno, killing himself and two passengers, as well as four children who were ejected from the truck, authorities said today.

The California Highway Patrol said no one in either vehicle appeared to have been wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision Saturday afternoon. The children in the truck, including an 8-year-old who was injured, were not properly restrained. All of the children were believed to be from the same family.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Avenue 424 and Road 120, about four miles from where a Dinuba, Calif., police officer tried to pull over a Dodge Neon. The motorist allegedly ran a stop sign on East Nebraska Avenue and then sped through a second stop sign, crashing into a GMC Sierra pickup truck, said CHP Officer Felipe Martinez.

All three men in the Neon died at the scene; one was thrown from the car, Martinez said. Two other adults in the car were injured and taken to a local hospital, the CHP said. They were identified as Carlos Salazar Jr., 29, and Jennifer Salazar, 26, apparently from nearby Orange Cove.

Martinez said the Neon was reportedly a stolen vehicle but that investigators were unsure whether the three men were responsible for the theft.

The four children in the pickup truck – a 3-year-old boy and three girls, ages 1, 4 and 7 – died at the scene, said CHP Officer Kirk Arnold. The victims’ identities were not immediately available.

Arnold said it appeared that all those in the pickup were members of the same family.

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz