An armed motorcyclist was killed Wednesday when his bike slammed into a fire hydrant in San Fernando during a high-speed police pursuit.
The crash occurred in the 1200 block of Truman Street around 2:15 a.m. Ramon Barrios Munoz, 19, of Sun Valley, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the coroner’s office.
Los Angeles police officers were responding about 2 a.m. to a “shots fired’ call in the 12100 block of Sheldon Avenue in Sun Valley when they came upon the suspect riding a blue Kawasaki motorcycle, said Officer Lilliana Preciado of the LAPD’s Media Relations office.
Barrios Munoz sped off and another patrol vehicle pursued the motorcyclist for a little over minute until a police helicopter began to track him, Preciado said. The suspect, who reached speeds of 130 miles per hour, lost control of his motorcycle, which slammed into a fire hydrant, she said.
The force of the impact sheared the fire hydrant, creating a geyser.
Barrios Munoz landed about 100 feet from the fire hydrant, Preciado said. A handgun was recovered at the crash site, police said.
— City News Service