High-speed chase in South Valley ends in fatal crash. Here’s how it began
A 35-year-old man was killed Saturday night when the car in which he was fleeing from a deputy crashed and overturned near Lemoore, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The pursuit began shortly after 8:30 p.m. after the Kings County Sheriff’s Office airplane spotted the vehicle driving erratically and asked for a patrol deputy on the ground to check on the driver, sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Nate Ferrier told The Bee on Sunday.
A deputy spotted the vehicle, a 2005 BMW 545 sedan, in the area of 17th Avenue north of Hanford-Armona Road, at the eastern edge of Lemoore. As he approached, the deputy reported, the BMW suddenly sped up and turned off its headlights.
Deputies from the air tracked the vehicle as it accelerated south on 17th Avenue and ran a four-way stop at Hanford-Armona Road, continuing at speeds estimated at about 130 mph, Ferrier said.
The California Highway Patrol, which is investigating the crash, said the BMW drove off the side of the road and struck a fence, a tree and other objects before overturning several times.
The CHP reported that the driver, whose name and hometown have not yet been released, was partially ejected from the car and declared dead at the scene.
Ferrier said the airplane crew saw a flash of fire when the vehicle crashed, and the deputy on the ground pulled the driver away from the wreckage but was unable to find a pulse.
CHP investigators said they believe alcohol or drugs may have been a contributing factor in the crash. Ferrier said a loaded handgun was found inside the car.
This story was originally published March 12, 2023 at 3:50 PM.
