A woman has died in a single-car accident that happened as she tried to elude police in Oxnard on Wednesday.
ABC affiliate, KEYT in Ventura County, reports that the chase began at approximately 1:30 a.m. when California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers spotted the 23-year-old woman in the area surrounding Oxnard.
CHP officers pursued the suspect vehicle and observed driving behaviors consistent with someone who was also driving under the influence of alcohol.
Highway Patrol officers attempted to pull the suspect vehicle over but had to break off the chase due to dangerously high speeds and the potential risk posed to the public.
Less than 15 minutes later, California Highway Patrol Officers from the Moorpark Office reported sighting a car matching the description of the suspect vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed and heading eastbound on Los Angeles Avenue near Somis.
The CHP officers and deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office pursued the suspect vehicle through Moorpark. A short time later, the driver lost control of her car when she attempted to make a right turn near State Route 23 onto White Sage Road.
The California Highway Patrol said that the vehicle went off the road and down a 200-foot cliff where it came to a rest.
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Emergency crews from the Ventura County Fire Department were called to the scene where firefighters repelled down the cliff to reach the car below. Investigators say that the female driver was the sole occupant of the vehicle. She was declared dead at the scene.
Officials have withheld the identity of the driver pending notification of family.
The incident is under investigation by both the California Highway Patrol and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
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