VALLEJO – A bystander was killed in a crash following a police pursuit in a Vallejo neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon, according to an eyewitness who lives in the neighborhood.
Vallejo police said in a statement that an officer attempted to stop the Fusion for reckless driving near the corner of Sonoma Boulevard and Carolina Street at 2:27 p.m., but it sped off. The driver sped west on Carolina and didn't stop for two stop signs before he crashed into two parked cars, police said.
The witness said that Vallejo police were chasing a suspect in a maroon Ford Fusion at more than 60 mph on Carolina Street when the suspect lost control of the car and crashed into parked cars and then a yard on Carolina Street.
A neighbor was pinned between two cars in the crash. The witness said that two other neighbors were frantically trying to free him. He was taken to a hospital with severe damage to his legs, where he died, the witness said. Police said he was a 76-year-old man.
The suspect fled into nearby yards and police were not able to apprehend him, according to the witness.
Smashed cars on Carolina Street following a Vallejo police pursuit on Tuesday. Video courtesy an eyewitness who requested to remain anonymous.
It was the third police pursuit that caused injury or death to a bystander in the last two months. In August, a man was killed in a crash at Springs Road and Tregaskis Avenue caused by a driver police were pursuing for armed robbery.
Then on Friday, a mother was injured in a crash on Columbus Parkway near Admiral Callaghan Lane caused by a woman fleeing police after shoplifting at a nearby store.
Police said she ran a red light and hit a cement truck and an SUV carrying a mother and two children. The mother was moderately injured but the children were unharmed.
Video of the aftermath showing an officer pull the driver out of a car, slam her against the truck, then to the ground and punching her went viral on TikTok on Friday.
This week, state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a new stipulated judgment for Vallejo police reform at a press conference at City Hall. He said he was disturbed by the video and that it would be investigated.
Editor's note: This story has been updated following confirmation of the death of the victim and to incorporate a Vallejo police statement.
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Scott Morris
Scott Morris is a journalist based in Oakland who covers policing, protest, civil rights and far-right extremism. His work has been published in ProPublica, the Appeal and Oaklandside.
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