Authorities identify Lakewood man killed in crash near Long Beach City College

The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office identified a 21-year-old Lakewood man who was killed in a crash near Long Beach City College Monday night.

Cole Unruh suffered multiple traumatic injuries, according to coroner’s records. Police say he ran a red light, was not wearing his seat belt, was struck by another vehicle and ejected from his pickup truck.

Officers were called to the scene in the intersection of Carson Street and Clark Avenue at 11:14 p.m., Long Beach police said. The second driver suffered major body trauma. Long Beach Fire Department persoel transported both drivers to local hospitals, but Unruh was pronounced dead shortly after.

According to the preliminary police investigation, Unruh was driving a 1994 GMC pickup truck southbound on Clark approaching Carson “at a high rate of speed.”

“According to an independent witness, the driver failed to stop for a red light and was struck in the intersection by a 2006 Hyundai Tucson traveling westbound on Carson Street on a green light,” police said. “As a result of the collision, the GMC pickup slid sideways towards the southwest coer of the Carson Street and Clark Avenue, collided with the south curb, a fire hydrant, and then flipped onto its passenger side, ejecting the driver in the process.”

After the initial crash, the Hyundai, driven by a 67-year-old Lakewood resident, rolled toward the southwest coer of Clark Avenue and Carson Street where it stopped against a curb, police said. The surviving driver is currently in stable condition.

Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact Long Beach Police Collision Investigations Detective Sirilo Garcia at 562-570-7132.

Anonymous tips may be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), texting TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.