A driver was killed when he crashed into a palm tree outside a Pomona apartment early Wednesday morning at the end of a chase that started in San Bernardino County.
The chase began at about 1:30 a.m. when sheriff’s department deputies tried to stop someone who was driving a car without headlights on. The driver hit about 120 mph at times and was likely traveling at about 80 mph on Towne Avenue when the car went over a railroad crossing and slammed into the palm tree.
Safety vests, shoes and canned drinks that were inside the car were scattered at the crash scene. The crash damaged an apartment gate on the only route in and out of the apartment complex.
“It’s kind of kind of sad, you know,” said apartment resident Roman Doby. “Thankfully, the palm trees kind of protected the apartments from really doing any more damage than it could have been.”
No one at the apartment was injured.
It was not immediately clear whey the driver did not stop for authorities.
“Sometimes, when we chase people, we have no idea why they’re running,” said California Highway Patrol Capt. Lance Berns. “Ultimately, it turns out, that there’s some type of associated criminal activity that we’re not aware of. In this case, we’re still investigating that.”
Towne Avenue remained closed in the area later Wednesday morning.