Woman dies in Northgate crash after high-speed chase with police

A high-speed chase, reaching 100 mph on north Sacramento freeways, ended early Saturday when car struck a traffic pole and the driver died at the scene, police said.

The chase started shortly after 5 a.m. when a patrol officer saw a tan Toyota Camry speeding and making erratic lane changes on Richards Boulevard, said Sgt. Vance Chandler, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department. The officer sped up to make a traffic stop but the vehicle sped away on northbound Interstate 5.

The Camry didn’t stop when the officer activated lights and sirens, he said, but the officer was able to read the license plate and a records check indicated the car was reported stolen.

As the Camry topped speeds of 100 mph, more officers joined the pursuit and the chase traveled onto Interstate 80 and then northbound on Northgate Boulevard.

At 5:13 a.m., ten minutes after the vehicle pursuit began, officers lost sight of the Camry as it sped over the Northgate overpass of I-80. Officers continued across the overpass and found the car damaged at Tandy Drive and Northgate after hitting a pole.

There was “significant damage” to the front and side of the car, Chandler said.

Officers parked at a distance and made announcements, he said. After receiving no reply, they moved toward the Camry and found a woman unresponsive in the driver’s seat.

The pole was knocked to the ground and the woman appeared to be trapped, Chandler added.

Fire personnel were called to the scene to use the jaws of life to extricate her from the car. She was pronounced dead at the scene, Chandler said.

The incident remains under investigation, and the woman has not been identified.