In a tragic event that unfolded in the early hours of Friday, four individuals lost their lives in a violent collision following a high-speed chase involving a DUI suspect in Upland. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported that the incident began when deputies attempted a traffic stop on a suspected DUI driver in a stolen Hyundai. The pursuit extended into Upland and culminated in the suspect vehicle, engulfed in the chase, violently colliding with a Ford Mustang at the intersection of 16th Street and Mountain Avenue, NBC Los Angeles reported.

The impact was catastrophic, resulting in the Hyundai fracturing into several parts upon slamming into a traffic light pole. Four occupants of the Hyundai were pronounced dead at the scene, and a 13-year-old passenger was ejected from the vehicle and subsequently hospitalized. The status of the juvenile’s injuries remained undisclosed, while the Mustang’s two passengers were also taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to FOX LA.

The authorities' discovery of a loaded firearm in the wreckage of the Hyundai, adds a grim facet to the already bleak narrative of the stolen car's final moments. The names of the deceased, all males, have yet to be released pending the notification of their next of kin, as stated by San Bernardino County Sheriff's officials in an update provided by KTLA.

Officials believe that the pursuit was relatively brief, lasting no more than seven minutes, yet it culminated in a catastrophic conclusion leaving a scene littered with debris and mangled metal. The Upland Police Department did not immediately provide a comment on the incident, although no officers or deputies suffered injuries from the pileup. The investigation into the cause of the crash remains ongoing, shedding light on the circumstances behind the tragic chain of events that unfolded on that fateful early morning, as per ABC7.