Sacramento, Ca — A Tuesday night high speed chase in Sacramento ended when the pursued vehicle drove down an embankment and into the Sacramento River.
The chase started shortly after 10:40pm when the South Sacramento CHP Office received a report of a suspected drunk driver on Interstate 5. As officers attempted to pull over the vehicle, the driver subsequently drove faster, and exited into a residential area.
The driver then reportedly drove through numerous stop signs and reached speeds estimated at 80-90 mph. The chase ended at 11pm as the vehicle went of the road and dove into the river.
According to Officer Michael Bradley, when a rescue team went into the water, members were able to find the truck but not the driver.
A check of the license plate numbers found that the White GMC is registered in Tuolumne County. Bradley says it is believed that the vehicle had been stolen earlier in the day.
A dive team searched the river again this morning, but did not find the suspect.
“Based on the vehicle inspection, there is a good probability that the party would have been able to get out,” says Bradley. The airbags did deploy, and the interior of the cabin was intact. There is a possibility he was able to elude officers before a perimeter was set up.”
An investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement agencies do not know at this time whether the suspect is connected with a chase on O´Byrnes Ferry Rd. Tuesday afternoon in which the driver was able to escape by foot.
Written by BJ Hansen
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 1:37 pm