Traffic Collision Kills Three in Manhattan Beach
Nov 24, 2021 01:16PM ● By Mb News Staff
A massive four-vehicle crash on Tuesday, November 23, at the intersection of Sepulveda Blvd. and Marine Ave. resulted in three fatalities.
Early reports indicate that one vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, hitting a second car, and causing a pile-up with two other cars. Debris was strewn over a wide area, with one car hitting a building on the southwest corner of the intersection.
Three individuals were pronounced deceased at the scene. Those fatalities have been confimed as Christian
Mendoza, 48; and husband and wife Katie-Jay Scott, 40, and Gabriel Stauring, 55; all of Redondo Beach.
Neighbor Rochelle Jaleh described the accident as "the most horrific sound we have ever heard." She was one of the first at the scene before the ambulances and police arrived.
Mendoza,
an educator, was the newly named principal of the Bennett-Kew P-8
Leadership Academy in the Inglewood School District. He was described by
Inglewood USD County Administrator Erika F. Torres as a lifelong
educator and a "beloved member of our IUSD community."
Scott was executive director of the Redondo Beach-based iACT, which provides humanitarian action to aid, support, and extend hope to those affected by mass atrocities. She
oversaw international and national programs and campaigns, partnerships,
fundraising and development, advocacy and policy for the organization.
Stauring
was founder and "chief of vision and strategy" for iACT. He was a
longtime activist and advocate for supporting populations displaced by
genocide and mass atrocities.
Scott was returning from a three-week mission at a refugee camp in
Greece. The car accident that took her and her husband's life occurred on her drive home from the airport. Their youngest
daughter survived the deadly collision. (They have three children.)
A current list of fundraisers to support the families of those deceased can be found here.
Additionally, three people were transported to area hospitals,
which include two adults listed in serious condition and a juvenile
listed in critical condition.
Neighbor Rochelle Jaleh described the accident as "the most horrific sound we have ever heard." She was one of the first at the scene before the ambulances and police arrived.
One of the victims told her that he was hit by someone going "100 miles an hour and maybe ran a red," she said.
"I'm just so in shock - I can't stop replaying it in my head," she told DigMB afterwards.
Police Release Statement
The following information was released by the Manhattan Beach Police Department on Wednesday:
On Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at about 9:46pm, the Manhattan Beach Police Department responded to a major injury traffic collision at the intersection of Sepulveda Blvd. and Marine Ave.
On Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at about 9:46pm, the Manhattan Beach Police Department responded to a major injury traffic collision at the intersection of Sepulveda Blvd. and Marine Ave.
Upon arrival, officers discovered that a four-vehicle traffic collision had occurred. One of the involved vehicles collided into a nearby building. The initial investigation found that the involved parties had sustained major injuries. Neighboring South Bay agencies were requested to respond and assist with this traffic collision.
