An elderly man was crushed to death between two parked cars after a suspect fleeing police in Northern California crashed his vehicle into them.
The police chase began after an officer in Vallejo, north of Oakland, tried to stop a motorist for reckless driving at 2:27 p.m. local time (5:57 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, October 17.
"Upon activating his overhead emergency lights and siren, the suspect vehicle, a red Ford Fusion, failed to yield and took off at a high rate of speed," a Vallejo Police Department (VPD) spokesperson said in a news release shared on Facebook.
"The Fusion sped westbound on Carolina Street, failed to stop for two stop signs, and ultimately crashed in the 300 block of Carolina Street. The Fusion collided with several parked cars at the south curb."
A 76-year-old Vallejo resident was standing between two of the parked cars when the collision happened, resulting in one of the vehicles being pushed into another which led to the man being crushed.
"The pedestrian was transported to a local hospital but died as a result of his injuries," a VPD spokesperson said.
Police did not release the name of the victim and said it would be withheld until his family members had been made aware of his death.
Newsweek has contacted the VPD and the Solano County Coroner's Office, a bureau of the Solano County Sheriff's Office, for comment via email.
The driver of the Ford Fusion fled the area on foot. VPD officers later recovered a firearm that was found inside the vehicle.
A photo of the crash scene obtained by the Vallejo Sun showed the abandoned and heavily damaged red Ford Fusion in a wooded area close to the road.
The VPD news release did not share any additional information about the driver, including whether he had been arrested. Police added the death is the seventh recorded fatal traffic collision in Vallejo this year.
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), traffic fatalities in the state rose from 3,980 in 2020 to 4,285 in 2021, an increase of about 7.6 percent.
The OTS added that pedestrian fatalities in the state increased from 1,013 in 2020 to 1,108 in 2021, representing a rise of 9.4 percent.
The collision remains under investigation and anyone with any information has been asked to contact Corporal Kenny Trimble of the VPD Traffic Division at (707) 648-4329.
