One passenger killed, another injured in vehicle pursuit of theft suspects
By SDCN Editor
Escondido, CA–One person was killed, and another passenger was injured after their vehicle crashed while fleeing police in Escondido Monday, the Escondido Police Department said.
Escondido police responded to the Dick’s Sporting Goods store on Auto Park Way on reports of a man and two women stealing merchandise around 10:28 p.m. As officers arrived, the suspects entered a pickup truck and fled the scene.
Officers pursued the truck east through Escondido onto Washington Avenue, where the driver attempted to make a high-speed turn onto Fig Street. He lost control and collided with a retaining wall. The two female passengers were ejected, and the driver fled the scene, according to authorities.
Both passengers were transported to an area hospital, where one was pronounced dead. The second passenger underwent surgery and is expected to survive. She told investigating officers that she asked the driver to pull over several times, but he refused to let her out of the vehicle.
The driver, identified as 21-year-old John Eugene Brand, was arrested after officers found him hiding a block from the crash scene. He was taken to the Vista Detention Facility and booked on vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, kidnapping, evading police with wanton disregard for safety, evading police causing serious injury or death, evading a police officer, hit and run resulting in death or injury, burglary, and conspiracy.
Brand is a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. The pickup truck he was driving belongs to the U.S. Marine Corps. Stolen articles of clothing were recovered from the truck.
The names of the passengers are being withheld pending notification to their families.
