Following an intense yet brief police pursuit on Saturday night, three men died in a burning car crash near Super Bowl festivities. San Francisco Police Department reported the incident occurred at 9 pm.
San Francisco Police Department reported the incident occurred at 9th and Brannan streets around 9:20 p.m. in downtown San Francisco. The crash took place as tens of thousands of fans were celebrating at Super Bowl City at Justin Herman Plaza at the Embarcadero.
As reported by California Highway Patrol officers, they began to follow the suspect driving a Chevrolet while it drove on Fifth Street. When the two cars stopped at the next red light, the suspect ran past the red light by accelerating at a high speed, officials said.
The Chevrolet ran past another red light as the officers tried to pull the suspect over unsuccessfully. However, the officer stopped the pursuit for it was putting them in the same danger as the fleeing vehicle.
Still, officers witnessed not only the Chevrolet colliding with a taxicab several blocks away but also bursting into flames in a matter of seconds. All three people in the Chevrolet were declared dead at the scene, presumably dead on impact.
The taxi driver, however, only suffered minor injuries and was rapidly transported to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment. In an interview with KPIX-TV a spectator of the scene said, “The whole car burst into such intense flames – bang! – Nobody could survive. There was no movement or sounds of any people… so we couldn’t help them. There was nothing to do,” witness Neal Taylor told the station.
Effectively, two bodies were found inside the Chevrolet, and the body of a third person that was ejected from the car was located near the crash site.
“The California Highway Patrol is committed to thoroughly and professionally investigating this incident,” said CHP Commander Christopher Sherry in a statement on Sunday. “I want to offer my sincere condolences to the involved families of the three young men…this tragedy has deeply affected all of us at the California Highway Patrol.”
Source: Times Daily