Bystander killed in crash during Vallejo police pursuit

VALLEJO – A driver fleeing Vallejo police officers crashed into two other cars on Wednesday evening, killing the driver of one of the vehicles and severely injuring another person, Vallejo police said.

The fleeing driver and pursuing Vallejo police officers reached speeds of 90 mph in 30 mph zones and weaved in and out of oncoming traffic, according to police scanner radio and witness accounts.

Police have not identified the person who was killed. The driver of the fleeing car escaped after the crash while a passenger in the car was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police.

The pursuit started at about 5:35 p.m. when police spotted a white Toyota Avalon at Tennessee and Tuolumne streets which matched the description of one used in recent armed robberies, police said. When officers tried to stop it, it sped away, ignoring traffic lights and stop signs.

Police said they lost track of the Avalon about a mile and a half east on Tennessee Street as it weaved in and out of traffic and drove on the curb to evade officers. But officers located it a short time later on Springs Road near Mosswood Avenue.

The officers then turned around to pursue the car, and as they approached they saw debris and dust in the area of Springs Road and Tregaskis Avenue, according to police.

The Avalon had crashed into two other vehicles, police said. Video of the aftermath posted to social media showed the Avalon with its airbags deployed, a parked SUV with its driver’s side door crumpled, and a third vehicle that had flipped over.

The person who was killed was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said that the incident is under criminal investigation. It is not, however, subject to investigation by the Solano County Officer Involved Fatal Incident Protocol, which would prompt a third-party investigation by outside agencies and led by the Solano County District Attorney’s Office. The protocol excludes incidents where a fleeing vehicle kills another person.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the street where the purusit took place.