East County is mourning the loss of Ashley Malone, a 15-year-old girl from Oakley who lost her life in a crash early Saturday morning in Brentwood. She was a passenger in a truck transporting to a hospital a friend who had been stabbed during a fight that police believe might have been gang-related.

A former Prospects High School student, Malone was remembered by family and friends as a kind soul who was always willing to lend a hand or cheer you up.

On Sunday, Malone’s family set up the Ashley Malone Memorial Page on Facebook. Memories trickled in as the news of her death spread. “You were loved by so many,” older sister Sarah Malone wrote. “Every time we would talk, you would make me laugh and put a smile on my face. And you were just so freaking gorgeous – it’s insane. Now you’re a beautiful angel in heaven.”

A makeshift memorial was set up at the corner of Balfour Road and Walnut Avenue. Friends and relatives have stopped by there every day since Malone’s death to pay their respects, leaving flowers and photos of happier times.

“Instead of mourning your passing,” Malone’s friend Ryan Morgan posted on Facebook, “I’m going to celebrate your life and the good times we had.”

Police have confirmed that an 18-year-old female was behind the wheel of a truck involved in an early morning crash on Saturday that killed Malone.

Brentwood Police Lt. Tom Hansen said a call came in at about 12:15 a.m. Saturday reporting a fight in the vicinity of Balfour Road and Garin Parkway in which three people had been stabbed. Two of the victims transported themselves to local hospitals, while three female friends attempted to drive the third victim to the hospital in a pickup truck. While westbound on Balfour Road at Walnut Boulevard, the truck ran a red light and was broadsided by another vehicle, flipping the truck and trapping Malone beneath.

Firefighters extricated her from the wreckage, but she died of her injuries on the way to the hospital, according to police Chief Mark Evenson.

Police are looking for three Hispanic males in their late teens or early 20s who might be responsible for the stabbings, which were done with broken bottles. The three fled the scene before police arrived.

“There’s a possibility that it was gang-related,” said Evenson. “There were some individuals (at the scene) claiming to be gang members.” About a dozen people were at the scene when police arrived, he said.

The occupants of the other car, a mother and her daughter, sustained significant but not life-threatening injuries and were airlifted to a hospital, Evenson said.

The three male stabbing victims were all treated and released at area hospitals. A total of seven people were transported to local hospitals in the wake of the traffic accident. The names and conditions of the other victims have not yet been released.

The investigation of the accident and stabbings is ongoing. Those with information regarding either incident should call 925-634-6911.