A police pursuit through Oildale ended early Friday when a reportedly stolen vehicle tore through fences and yards before slamming into a tree and a home on Worthington Avenue. The driver, 23-year-old Anthony Gonzalez, was taken into custody, and a passenger suffered moderate injuries in the crash.
According to KGET, Bakersfield police tried to pull over the vehicle just before 2:15 a.m. at the intersection of Wells Avenue and Decatur Street after identifying it as reported stolen. The vehicle failed to stop, prompting officers to begin a pursuit, per the Bakersfield Police Department.
Chase Called Off Before the Crash
Police said they cancelled the pursuit once the vehicle hit excessive speeds heading eastbound on West Day Avenue from Airport Drive, the station's report notes. The driver reportedly lost control while continuing east on Day Avenue past North Chester Avenue, setting off a chain of destruction even after officers had backed off.
The out-of-control vehicle collided with a fence, crossed several residential yards, and ultimately struck a tree and a home in the 3100 block of Worthington Avenue, the same report states. Officers caught up to Gonzalez after witnesses pointed them toward where he had run while trying to flee the scene.
Driver and Passenger Hospitalized
A passenger in the vehicle sustained moderate injuries and was taken to Kern Medical for treatment, while Gonzalez was also brought to Kern Medical for his own injuries, the outlet reports. The California Highway Patrol is now investigating the crash.
Under Bakersfield Police Department Policy 308, officers may initiate a pursuit when it is reasonable to believe a suspect is trying to evade arrest or detention by fleeing in a vehicle. The same policy directs officers to discontinue a chase when the totality of circumstances indicates the risks of continuing outweigh the risk of letting the suspect get away — which appears to be what happened on Day Avenue before the crash. The policy also requires the department's Watch Commander to ensure a pursuit report is filed with CHP within 30 days of the incident.
A Familiar Risk in Oildale
This is not the first time a police pursuit through Oildale has ended in a violent crash. In one earlier case, a vehicle fleeing officers spun out and struck a pedestrian who died at the scene, according to Turnto23. In June 2025, a slow-speed pursuit by a Kern County deputy in Oildale ended after the fleeing vehicle struck two pedestrians in an alley, both of whom suffered moderate to major injuries, per Bakersfield Now.
Other Oildale pursuits have ended differently. In one case, officers discontinued a chase and lost visual of the fleeing vehicle, which was later found abandoned near Manor Street, north of Roberts Lane, Bakersfield Now reported separately. In another incident, a stolen pickup barreled down an Oildale alley, crashed into another truck and then a pole, knocking down power lines; the passenger in that crash later died at Kern Medical, according to KGET's coverage of that case.
No further details have been released about Gonzalez's condition, the passenger's identity, or whether anyone was inside the Worthington Avenue home at the time of the crash. The California Highway Patrol's investigation into Friday's wreck remains ongoing.
