2 dead, 5 injured after Tesla driver runs red light and crashes into OCTA bus in Fullerton, police say

Two people were killed and five others were injured when the driver of a Tesla ran a red light and slammed into a pickup truck and a passenger bus in Fullerton on Saturday morning, police said. 

The crash happened at around 6:45 a.m. near Orangethrope Avenue and State College Boulevard, according to the Fullerton Police Department. 

They say that a white 2018 Tesla Model 3 traveling eastbound on Orangethorpe "drove through the intersection on a red light" and collided with the passenger side of a 1991 Toyota pickup truck and the side of an Orange Country Transportation Authority bus. 

Arriving officers found the truck with "moderate" damage north of the intersection, the Tesla with "significant front-end damage" in the intersection and the bus with moderate damage to the driver side, the FPD release said.

Paramedics declared the female passenger of the Tesla dead at the scene. The driver was rushed to a nearby hospital where he also died, police said. 

Five of the bus passengers were also hospitalized with minor injures, they noted.

"At this stage of the investigation, it is unknown if alcohol or drugs were a contributing factor related to the driver." police said.

Both the driver of the Toyota and the OCTA bus remained at the scene to cooperate with the investigation.

Anyone who knows more is asked to contact investigators at (714) 738-6812.