Driver of stolen vehicle killed in Davis after striking median during pursuit with UC police
A driver behind the wheel of a stolen car out of the Bay Area was killed in a fiery collision late Thursday while fleeing UC Davis police.
The collision happened about 9:30 p.m. at Fifth and G streets where the roadway meets rail tracks. The fleeing driver plowed into a concrete median at the rail crossing and his car burst into flames at impact, a UC Davis police spokesman said in a Friday statement.
The chase began minutes before, UC Davis police said, when an officer saw a car speeding through the junction of Russell Boulevard and Sycamore Lane. The officer gave chase as the car continued east on Russell running through red lights onto Fifth Street before the wreck.
The pursuing officer’s patrol cruiser also struck the median at the end of the chase. The officer suffered minor injuries but, with the help of other responding officers, pulled the driver from the crumpled car. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police later learned the car had been reported stolen in Novato, Marin County, 90 minutes earlier. The driver was not a University of California, Davis, student, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the incident
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