A 29-year-old man was killed and a woman in her mid-30s was injured in a violent, high-speed crash into a pole at the end of a police pursuit Tuesday in Newport Beach.
The crash happened on Balboa Boulevard near 18th Street, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera.
Just after 1 a.m., “something happened” to trigger Newport Beach police to pursue a 2016 Mercedes AMG, Olivera said.
“They lost sight of the vehicle because it was going at such a high rate of speed southbound on Balboa Boulevard into the peninsula,” Olivera said. “So, eventually, it got turned around because there was no way out.”
Police were about to begin another pursuit northbound on Balboa as the Mercedes topped speeds of 100 mph, Olivera said.
“Newport Beach was about to start another pursuit when he lost control of his car and crashed into a palm tree and that split the car almost in half,” Olivera said. “The driver most likely died on impact.”
The woman in the car was belted in and had to be helped out by a police officer, Olivera said. She was taken to OC Global Medical Center in Santa Ana to be treated for a concussion and fractured ankle, Olivera said.
“She’s lucky,” Olivera said.
The driver lived in an unspecified city in Los Angeles County, Olivera said.
A witness told a news photographer the vehicle’s engine was ejected and struck a nearby parked SUV.
Olivera said the engine landed about 100 feet from the crash scene and one of the vehicle’s tires was found about 300 feet away.
The CHP closed several streets in the area for an investigation into the crash. The closures are:
— Balboa Boulevard between 22nd and 24th streets;
— 23rd Street, just west of Oceanfront;
— Oceanfront between 21st and 23rd streets;
— 22nd and 24th streets in both directions.