Girl, 17, fleeing police dies in Highway 101 crash in Santa Rosa

A 17-year-old Ukiah girl was killed and two teenagers in the car she was driving were seriously injured in a crash early Saturday on Highway 101 in Santa Rosa that happened during a high-speed chase, authorities said.

Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies first spotted a Toyota Echo being driven south erratically on the freeway in Windsor at 1:25 a.m.

The driver attempted to flee when deputies, suspecting she may be drunk, tried to pull her over. A pursuit reached speeds of more than 100 mph over a 12-mile stretch, sheriff’s Lt. Greg Miller said.

The Echo exited the freeway at Hearn Avenue, but the driver failed to negotiate the curve and crashed, CHP Sgt. Brent Townsend said.

“The car nosed into a drainage area,” Townsend said. “It was a fairly abrupt stop.”

The driver, identified by the CHP as Keila Verdusco, and another 17-year-old girl, Angelia Bennett, also of Ukiah, were sitting in the front seats and were not wearing seat belts.

Verdusco died on impact and Bennett was thrown through the windshield and suffered a broken arm, Townsend said.

A 19-year-old man riding in the back, Samuel Alvarez of Boonville, suffered a broken neck but was expected to live, Townsend said.

He was wearing a seat belt.

Townsend said toxicology tests would determine whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Staff Writer Angela Hart contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ppayne.