On Tuesday in Vallejo, a high-speed attempt to outrun police ended in tragedy when a motorcyclist crashed into a parked car and died after being trapped beneath the vehicle. Officers had tried to pull the rider over for reported reckless speeding, but the brief pursuit was called off shortly before the collision. Vallejo Fire crews later used specialized rescue equipment to lift the car and free the rider, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are withholding his name while they notify the family and continue the investigation.
Officer Tried To Stop Rider Near Sonoma Boulevard
A Vallejo police officer on patrol reported seeing the motorcycle flying up Sonoma Boulevard near Tennessee Street at a high rate of speed and in a reckless manner, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The officer activated the patrol car’s lights and siren to make a traffic stop, but the rider hit the throttle instead of the brakes.
The pursuit lasted less than a minute before officers backed off because of the motorcycle’s excessive speed and the growing distance between the bike and the patrol vehicle, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Minutes after the chase was terminated, police were alerted to a crash about a mile north, on the 2100 block of Sacramento Street, where they found the rider pinned underneath an unoccupied parked car.
Rescue And Investigation
Vallejo Fire personnel brought in specialized rescue gear to lift the parked vehicle and pull the rider out, but he did not survive his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, SFGATE reports. The Vallejo Police Department’s Traffic Division has taken over the collision investigation, according to SFGATE.
Investigators are asking anyone who saw the crash, the attempted stop, or the motorcycle’s movements beforehand to come forward. Tipsters can contact Officer Brad Kim at (707) 648-4329 or [email protected], or leave information anonymously on the 1-800-488-9383 tip line.
Policy And Procedure After A Death Linked To Police Action
The Solano County coroner’s office is withholding the rider’s identity until next-of-kin are notified, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The Vallejo Police Department’s policy manual notes that the agency follows the Solano County Officer Involved Fatal Incident Protocol, which allows for separate criminal, administrative and critical-incident reviews after deaths tied to officer actions, per the Vallejo Police Department policy manual.
Those procedures spell out how evidence is handled and which agencies are notified, but they do not themselves decide whether criminal charges will be filed.
Where This Fits In Vallejo’s Traffic Picture
Tuesday’s deadly crash is the eighth traffic-related fatality Vallejo police have investigated so far this year, according to SFGATE. The city’s long-range planning documents have already flagged several nearby roadways as trouble spots.
Vallejo’s General Plan identifies Sonoma Boulevard, Tennessee Street and Broadway as corridors with a concentration of collisions and calls for safety and infrastructure upgrades to reduce serious crashes; see the Vallejo General Plan 2040 for the detailed analysis. In May, Hoodline covered a separate incident in which a scooter rider was killed in broad daylight on Sonoma Boulevard, highlighting the ongoing danger along some of Vallejo’s busiest streets.
Taken together, local reporting and the police department’s own statements underline a stubborn challenge for the city: cutting down on traffic deaths while weighing enforcement tactics and long-promised roadway changes.
How To Help And What To Expect Next
The Vallejo Police Department shared its account of the crash and investigation in a Facebook post, urging the public to use the phone, email and anonymous tip options listed there if they have information. Neighbors and media outlets looking for updates can expect additional statements from the Traffic Division as detectives piece together the rider’s final moments.
This story will be updated if officials release the rider’s identity or provide significant new details about the crash or the investigation.
