Woman Found Shot in Crashed Car Dies

Update: Early media reports have identified the female victim as prominent Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen, 64.

A woman who was found shot five times in a crashed Mercedes-Benz E350 in Beverly Hills early Tuesday has died, according to wire reports.

The name of the woman, who was said to be either in her 40s or 60s—according to conflicting media reports—is being withheld pending notification of her relatives, Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the L.A County coroner's office said. No arrests have been reported.

Beverly Hills police were sent to the 800 block of North Whittier Drive around 12:30 a.m. after receiving a report that a car had crashed into a pole. Inside the vehicle, they found the woman, shot multiple times but still breathing. There had been at least two reports of multiple gunshots in the area at that time.

She was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she later died.

This is the third homicide this year in the city, after a year in which there were no homicides. , 21, was fatally stabbed July 20 outside his home in the 1800 block of Carla Ridge in the Trousdale Estates area. A former girlfriend and her boyfriend have been charged in that crime.

Diane Newlander, 73, was found dead in her home in the 400 block of South Swall Drive on May 4, a victim of an apparent murder-suicide.

Check back with Patch for updates on this developing story.