The high-speed pursuit of a grand theft suspect wanted in Ventura County ended with a horrific crash Friday on the Foothill (210) Freeway in the La Crescenta area, killing the fleeing driver.
The California Highway Patrol entered the pursuit at 10:50 a.m. Friday while the chase was eastbound on the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway at Balboa Boulevard, according to Officer Erik Larsen.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department pursued the black Honda SUV until that point, saying it was involved in a theft, Larsen said.
CHP officers on the ground and in the air followed the SUV at speeds of more than 110 mph as it transitioned to the eastbound Foothill Freeway, weaving in and out of lanes, until about 11 a.m., when the left side of the man’s vehicle collided with the rear right corner of an orange dump truck, ripping apart the side of the SUV.
CHP officers at the scene performed CPR on the driver on the bloodied pavement east of Ocean View Boulevard in an area where La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge and Montrose converge.
The man was pronounced dead at 11:18 a.m. by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics, Larsen said.
The pursuit started about 10 a.m. after the man fled a Target store at 209 W. Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo, pursued by Ventura County Sheriff’s deputies, Capt. Jason Karol told City News Service. He was accused of stealing more than $950 in merchandise, which is considered grand theft.
The CHP issued a SigAlert at 11:32 a.m. for lanes 2, 3 and 4 of the main line of the Foothill Freeway and lanes 1, 2 and 3 of the transition road to the 2 Freeway, although all traffic had been stopped since the crash.