Teenager is arrested in
connection with fatal crash
Alleged street racer
By City News Service
An 18-year-old was taken into custody this week in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Palmdale that left two people dead.
Jamaal Tyree Madden was allegedly behind the wheel of a Dodge Challenger that was traveling westbound at more than 100 mph when it slammed into a Toyota Corolla on Rancho Vista Boulevard near 11th Street West, near the Antelope Valley Mall, at about 12:30 a.m. on June 9.
The driver of the Corolla subsequently lost control of the car, which crashed into a light pole, rolled over and burst into flames. The driver was ejected, while his passenger remained trapped inside.
Lesther Deleon, 37, and his passenger, Spechelle Pope, 28, were both pronounced dead at the scene, where a makeshift memorial was created. Relatives described Pope as a mother of five and Deleon as a Lyft driver who was giving her a ride home from a store.
Madden allegedly abandoned the Challenger following the crash and left the scene in another vehicle. He was arrested on Tuesday by the Sheriff’s Department’s fugitive unit and booked at the Century Station in Lynwood in lieu of $1 million bail.
