A California Highway Patrol pursuit ended in flames on Tuesday afternoon, leaving a 75-year-old woman with burn injuries, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department and CHP Newhall officials.
The CHP provided additional details on the incident Wednesday.
At approximately 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, officers from the CHP’s Central Division attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a white Dodge Challenger for speeding. The vehicle fled and traversed areas and city streets of the Bakersfield area until the pursuit was called off.
Just after noon, Fort Tejon officers spotted the vehicle — which was headed southbound on Interstate 5 toward Santa Clarita. CHP Newhall officers took over the response and got into position at approximately 12:30 p.m, according to Officer Josh Greengard, spokesman for the CHP Newhall Office.
Once Newhall officers spotted the Challenger, they attempted to stop it but it fled once again. Officers deployed a spike strip on the I-5 at Lyons Avenue, and the Challenger swerved to avoid it — hitting a Toyota Rav 4 driven by a 75-year-old Newhall woman and knocking over a light pole.
The two vehicles burst into flames as they came to a rest on a brush embankment west of the lanes of traffic. The driver of the Challenger, 20-year-old Anthony Carreon, of Baldwin Park, and two passengers attempted to flee the scene but were apprehended shortly afterward.
The 75-year-old was trapped in her vehicle as it began to burn, but was rescued by CHP officers before her vehicle became fully engulfed in flames. She was later transported to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital for burn injuries and blunt force injuries.
The flames from the vehicle transferred to the surrounding brush, of which about one-eighth of an acre was burned. The light pole that was knocked over caused a SIG alert to be issued for the No. 2, 3 and 4 lanes for approximately an hour.
Carreon was arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, hit-and-run causing injuries and felony evading.
