More information has been provided about the tragic domestic violence incident in Los Angeles on Monday. An infant girl was found dead on the 405 freeway, and a 9-year-old was found injured on the shoulder.
Los Angeles Police detectives informed KNBC that the 8-month-old baby was in her older sister’s arms when their mother pushed them out of her SUV early Monday.
The infant girl was hit by at least one vehicle on the freeway, while the 9-year-old made her way to the shoulder with moderate injuries. She was taken to a hospital for treatment, as CrimeOnline reported.
The mother, identified as 34-year-old Danielle Cherakiyah Johnson, drove to Redondo Beach and crashed into a tree at a high speed, resulting in her own death.
The sequence of events ended with Johnson’s boyfriend, 29-year-old Jaelen Chaney, being found stabbed to death with a kitchen knife in their apartment in Woodland Hills.
Initially, investigators stated that the infant was 5-6 months old, but later discovered she was a few months older.
Police informed KABC that the 9-year-old witnessed Chaney’s murder and the death of her sister.
“We really don’t know why this incident escalated to such violence,” LAPD Lt. Guy Golan told KNBC.
Golan stated that there were no previous calls to the apartment where the couple had resided for over a year.
“Looking at the history between the victim and suspect, they have been dating for a few years, but there’s no prior incidents of domestic violence reported between the two,” he said.
Police mentioned that the 9-year-old is in the custody of Child Protective Services.
They also mentioned that Chaney’s family is devastated by the news, while Johnson’s family said they had been estranged from her for some time.
Police informed KABC that Johnson was in the process of divorcing the 9-year-old’s father. They did not mention if Chaney was the father of the baby.
[Featured image: Redondo Beach crash site/KABC screenshot]