Driver who allegedly killed two boys in crash while fleeing police will face murder trial

An unlicensed driver who allegedly tried to evade police during a high-speed pursuit and crashed into a family’s car in Mountain View, killing two young boys, was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges that include murder.

Angel Velasquez Salgado, 20, is charged in the Dec. 8, 2023, crash on an Interstate 805 off-ramp that killed brothers Malikai, 8, and Mason Orozco-Romero, 4. The boys were riding in the backseat of a sedan that was rear-ended, propelled down an embankment and into a tree, where it caught fire.

Two women in the victims’ vehicle, including the boys’ mother, survived the crash.

The deadly collision has prompted calls to re-examine San Diego police policies regarding vehicle pursuits. The city’s Commission on Police Practices recently recommended changes to the department’s policies, such as avoiding initiating pursuits over minor traffic violations.

The commission’s recommended pursuit policy would only allow pursuits to be initiated “for extremely serious allegations involving life or death situations to prioritize safety and minimize risks to all parties involved.”

The recommendations drew pushback from the San Diego Police Officers Association, which said limiting pursuits to certain suspects would prevent officers from pursuing DUI suspects or suspects connected to other serious crimes such as human trafficking or those in violation of domestic violence restraining orders.

“The recommendations presented by ...