A 30-year-old driver wanted for a traffic offense was killed when his car struck a tree in Pomona early Wednesday as he led deputies and California Highway Patrol officers on a chase from the Victorville area.
The chase started about 1:35 a.m. Wednesday on southbound Interstate 15 near Mojave Drive in the Victorville area, where the driver without his car’s headlights on, and ended around 2:15 a.m. with a crash in the area of Towne and Bonita avenues, according to the CHP.
Video shot at the crash scene showed a mangled blue sedan that had slammed into a tree just outside an apartment building.
The impact appeared to have been in the area of the driver’s side door, and the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a CHP officer at the location.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later identified the man as Juan Rios.
The officer said the car was northbound on Towne Avenue when it hit some railroad tracks, causing the driver to lose control.
Video shot during the chase showed several squad cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring behind a speeding Nissan Altima with its headlights turned off on the westbound San Bernardino (10) Freeway.