FIRE AND POLICE personnel at the scene of a crash in Garden Grove where a truck went through a wall and ended up in swimming pool on March 12 (OCFA photo).

The driver and passenger in a pickup truck that were central to a traffic accident that killed three persons early Friday morning in Garden Grove have been identified as persons with “extensive criminal histories.”

According to Sgt. Mario Martinez of the GGPD, the two men who were in the Dodge Ram pickup that struck another car, fatally injuring the driver and themselves dying when the vehicle crashed upside down into a backyard swimming pool are:

• Joseph Mendoza, 24, whose last known address was in Paramount, and
• Sal Fernandez, 34, with a last known address of Reseda.

Fernandez was on parole and Mendoza on a “post release community supervision” status out of Los Angeles County. After the truck was hauled out of the pool, a catalytic converter, a power saw and a power saw charger were found inside the vehicle. A loaded handgun was also located.

The theft of such converters has become a popular practice of thieves because of resale value of some of the elements of the device, which reduces automotive emissions.

Police say the incident began around 2 a.m. on Friday in the area of Chapman Avenue and Harbor Boulevard with pursuit of a speeding pickup truck. The chase continued to the area of Euclid Street and Orangewood Avenue, where the truck struck another vehicle, crashed through a block wall and plunged into a pool.