Driver hospitalized after hitting tree ‘intentionally’ at 85 mph in I-80 chase, CHP says
A suspect was seriously injured and hospitalized after crashing a pickup truck into a tree during a high-speed chase on Interstate 80 last week. An officer and bystander rescued him after the truck burst into flames, California Highway Patrol officials said.
Around 5 p.m. Friday, a CHP officer stuck in crowded rush-hour traffic near Pitt School Road in Dixon attempted to stop a Ford F-150 that had passed his patrol vehicle going about 60 mph in the eastbound right shoulder, CHP’s Solano office said in a news release.
The Ford did not stop, instead fleeing while still using the shoulder. The officer pursued from the fast lane, catching up and tracking the vehicle as traffic thinned, according to the news release.
The pickup then accelerated to about 85 mph and veered “across the grass shoulder and collided with a large tree,” doing so “intentionally,” the CHP reported based on a statement from the driver after the crash.
“After the collision, the truck immediately burst into flames,” the news release said.
The pursuing officer and a bystander, an off-duty prison guard, worked to successfully remove the “combative” driver from the engulfed pickup truck, according to the CHP news release.
The driver, whose identity has not been released, was transported to a local hospital with injuries considered major but not described as life-threatening.
The CHP says it has filed charges against the suspect with the Solano County District Attorney’s Office for felony reckless evasion.
This story was originally published October 26, 2020 at 11:27 AM.
