Girl, 13, is killed and her brother, 8, is critically injured after carjackers shove them out of van while speeding away from restaurant parking lot where their parents were picking up food

• Isabella Cortes, 13, died during violent carjacking in Pico Rivera, California 
• Her brother, 8, suffered critical injuries after they were ejected from moving van 
• The two were inside family van when it was carjacked on Sunday at around 2pm 
• Their parents went inside a restaurant to pick up food and left keys in ignition
• With their four chidren inside, a 26-year-old Los Angeles man hopped into van
• He then sped off and demanded that the four children get out of the vehicle 
• Two children - ages 18 and 11 - got out just after suspect began to speed away
• Cortes and her brother were ejected from vehicle further down the road
• Cortes struck an object and suffered fatal injuries at the scene 
• The suspect, Jose Aguilar, allegedly tried to carjack another vehicle but failed
• He was detained by passersby who waited for LASD deputies to arrive 

A 13-year-old girl died and her eight-year-old brother was critically injured after they fell out of a speeding car that was carjacked by a man while her parents were buying food inside a Los Angeles area restaurant.

Jose Aguilar, 26, jumped behind the wheel of a family van with four children inside after the parents left the keys in the ignition so that the air conditioning kept running while they went to get food, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The incident took place at around 2pm near the corner of Whittier Boulevard and Lindsey Avenue in Pico Rivera on Sunday afternoon.

Investigators said that Aguilar got into the vehicle and started yelling at the four children, demanding that they get out.

‘Vamanos!’ the suspect is alleged to have yelled in Spanish.

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Isabella Cortes, 13, has been identified as the girl who suffered fatal injuries after falling out of a carjacked vehicle in Pico Rivera, California, on Sunday afternoon

‘Before the children were able to safely exit the vehicle, the suspect drove off from the location at a high rate of speed,’ authorities said in a news release.

‘Immediately afterwards, the side doors to the van slid open.’

According to the LASD, an 18-year-old sibling inside the van started fighting with Aguilar before she and her 11-year-old brother got out of the vehicle.

They both sustained minor injuries.

The suspect then sped up, reaching speeds as high as 60 miles per hour.

Investigators said the eight-year-old boy was ‘forcefully ejected from the van.’

Immediately afterward, the 13-year-old girl, Isabella Cortes, also fell out of the moving van, though it is unclear if she jumped out or was pushed out.

Investigators said Cortes struck a stationary object after falling out of the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Aguilar is alleged to have kept on driving at a high rate of speed down Whittier Boulevard when he collided with another vehicle that was driving southbound at the intersection of Whittier and Rosemead Boulevards.

No injuries resulted from this collision, according to the LASD.

Aguilar is then alleged to have kept on driving northbound on Rosemead into the town of El Monte.

Moments later, the van became disabled due to the damage suffered as a result from the earlier collision.

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The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that Cortes' parents left her and her three young siblings inside the family van while they went inside to pick up food at a restaurant on Whittier Boulevard. The suspect jumped behind the wheel and started driving off

LASD said Aguilar abandoned the disabled vehicle just south of San Gabriel Boulevard and ran northbound on foot toward the Whittier Narrow Recreation Area.

Aguilar is then alleged to have attempted another carjacking after he saw a man exiting his vehicle and buying fruit at a fruit stand while his wife and child were still inside.

The man who exited the vehicle put up resistance and started fighting Aguilar as they wrestled for control of the wheel, according to investigators.

LASD said Aguilar and the man kept fighting while the car crept forward about 100 yards.

The struggle eventually ended when the vehicle collided into a nearby bridge, according to LASD.

Investigators allege Aguilar then left the vehicle and ran back towards the disabled van. He then is alleged to have tried to get the van working again so he could flee the scene.

Nearby street vendors who witnessed the attempted carjacking detained Aguilar until LASD deputies arrived on the scene.

Investigators said Aguilar sustained several injuries and was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

According to the LASD, Aguilar was arrested on charges of murder, carjacking, and kidnapping.

LASD said Aguilar was on probation at the time of his arrest. He had previously been detained for felony possession of a dagger and vandalism and was released on zero bail. 

In June, California judicial leaders ended a statewide policy of imposing $0 bail for misdemeanors and lower-level felonies that reduced jail populations by more than 20,000 suspects during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

The state’s Judicial Council said the policy helped ease crowding in jails, which are potential hot spots for spreading the virus.

But it said a uniform statewide policy is no longer appropriate as the state’s 58 counties vary widely in how quickly they ease stay-at-home orders aimed at slowing spread of the virus.

Law enforcement leaders had roundly criticized the bail reduction since it took effect in early April, with some publicizing examples where offenders were freed only to be quickly re-arrested.

But public defenders said the $0 bail caused no significant increase in crime and should continue, particularly as the nation confronts racial inequalities in the criminal justice system.