Suspect in Fatal Crash Is a Coast Guard Member

HUNTINGTON BEACH — A man who allegedly led officers on a 120-mph chase before crashing into a car and killing two newspaper deliverymen is a computer technician with the U.S. Coast Guard, authorities said Monday.

Petty Officer Michael Edward Nelson, 31, is on active duty and in good standing with no criminal record, a Coast Guard spokeswoman said. He could face military court proceedings.

Nelson, stationed in San Pedro, was heading home to Costa Mesa about 1:35 a.m. Sunday when he sped past a California Highway Patrol car on the San Diego Freeway, CHP spokeswoman Bonnie Blatt said. The two officers in the patrol car estimated Nelson’s speed at 85 mph, she said.

When the officers pulled behind Nelson’s car, he took the Beach Boulevard exit but immediately sped through a stop sign at the end of the offramp, Blatt said.

“That’s when they alerted dispatch that they were in pursuit,” she said of the officers.

Nelson broadsided a car driven by William R. Hagerman, 58, of Irvine, who was showing Tan Van Nguyen, 52, of Westminster a delivery route for the New York Times, police said. Officials estimate that Nelson was going more than 100 mph at the time.

Hagerman and Nguyen died in the collision.

Nelson was booked into the Huntington Beach City Jail on suspicion of two counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony drunk driving and evading arrest.

He was later transferred to Western Medical Center in Anaheim for treatment of possible internal injuries, and was being held there late Monday in lieu of $50,000 bail, police said.