A 13-year-old girl fleeing from police lost control of her mother’s SUV, which she’d taken without permission, and crashed, killing two homeless men who were sleeping in the bushes along the road, Escondido, California, Police said.

The incident began just before 11:30 p.m. Friday, police said, when an officer tried to pull over a Ford Explorer for a traffic violation.

“What the officer didn’t know at the time is that the car was being driven by a 13-year-old girl from Vista who took her mom’s car without her knowing,” Lt Kevin Toth said. “The girl’s juvenile friend was a passenger in the car.”

The girl hit the gas and sped off as the officer approached the vehicle, Toth said. About a half mile down the road, the girl tried to turn left, but instead lost control and slid into a planter in front of a San Diego Gas & Electric transfer facility.

Officers quickly caught up and arrested the girls, discovering the two victims in the process. One of the men was pronounced dead on the scene, and the other died from his injuries at a hospital.

The girls were released to their parents, Toth said, and officials are working to identify the two men.

No further details were released.

Additionally that night, a drunk driver struck a police car that was blocking the closed roadway for the investigation. The police vehicle was unoccupied and had its emergency lights activated, police said. There were no injuries, and the driver was arrested for DUI.

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[Featured image: Pixabay]