Theft suspect killed in crash on 210 Freeway following police pursuit that reached 115 mph

A high-speed police pursuit on the 210 Freeway in Los Angeles County ended in a violent collision that killed the suspect.

A California Highway Patrol official confirmed that the suspect was pronounced dead at 11:18 a.m. on Friday by L.A. County Fire officials who responded to the crash. The driver was the only one in the car, and no one else was injured in the crash, a CHP official said.

The pursuit began in Camarillo with officers from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and continued through Thousand Oaks and into Simi Valley, where CHP officers took over.

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The incident began when officers responded to a call about a grand theft in a large department store in Camarillo at around 10 a.m., according to Sgt. Monica Smith of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. Responding officers then identified a vehicle they believed to be involved in the theft and attempted to make a traffic stop. The pursuit began shortly after the suspect refused to pull over for officers.

The suspect was driving at speeds higher than 115 mph, according to helicopter footage from KTLA.

The crash took place eastbound on the 210 Freeway, just west of State Route 2. The driver plowed into the back of a truck, with the front driver side of the car making a hard impact with the rear passenger side of the truck. Parts of the front and side of the suspect’s vehicle were torn off of the car.

CHP officers attempted to treat the suspect before L.A. County Fire officials responded and declared the driver dead.

Officials from both CHP and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department did not provide any additional details about the suspect.

Traffic was closed Friday along the 210 Freeway near the crash scene. One lane of traffic was opened Friday afternoon, but three lanes on the eastbound side remained closed. The transition road from the 210 to the 2 also had three lanes of traffic closed for an unknown duration, CHP officials said.