SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 39-year old Antioch man has been charged with murder, felony evading causing serious injury and child endangerment for hitting and killing a 74-year-old woman and seriously injuring three others while leading Seal Beach police on a wrong way pursuit with an infant in his vehicle.
Chaz Lamar Long, 39, of Antioch has been charged with one felony count of murder, three felony counts of evading a peace officer while causing serious bodily injury, and one felony count of child abuse and endangerment. He faces a maximum sentence of 26 years and eight months to life in state prison if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned on April 21, 2023 at the Stephen K. Tamura Justice Center in Department W12.
Long was wanted on a federal firearms warrant at the time of the pursuit.
On March 28, 2023, Long was in the passenger seat of a silver Lexus when Seal Beach pulled over the vehicle around 7:58 p.m. regarding the vehicle’s paper plates. While the officer returned to his patrol car to write a citation, the woman driving the vehicle moved to the back seat next to a one-year-old child. Long is accused of moving into the driver’s seat and driving away, despite police commands to stop the vehicle.
Long is accused of running several stop signs and red lights, driving into oncoming traffic on two separate occasions while trying to evade police. While in the city of Long Beach, Long is accused of running a red light at Pacific Coast Highway and 2nd Street and driving into oncoming traffic, broadsiding a Kia Forte. Seventy-four year-old Sarah Shorteno, who is a passenger in the back seat of the Kia, is killed. After the deadly collision, Long tried to run from police.
When he refused to listen to police commands to stop, he was tased by police and taken into custody.
In addition to killing Shorteno, Long is accused of injuring three other people who suffered injuries ranging from a brain bleed and collapsed lungs to broken bones. A total of nine vehicles were damaged during the pursuit. Based on the intricacies of the collision and injuries sustained the investigation is still ongoing at this point.
“A simple traffic stop set off a series of actions by a desperate individual that cost an innocent woman her life and left a trail of destruction and injury in his wake,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will ensure he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and be held accountable for the death and misery he caused.”
Senior Deputy District Attorney Brian Orue of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
