Chase turns deadly as passenger is killed in Modesto crash; driver arrested
Updated story ==> Passenger killed in Modesto crash following pursuit is ID’d. Driver faces murder charge
Original story:
A female passenger was killed and a male driver arrested after a high-speed police pursuit out of Ceres ended in a crash on Oakdale Road in Modesto.
The crash happened about 1:40 a.m. Wednesday in the northbound lane of Oakdale Road between Scenic Drive and County Center 3 Court. The driver of a black 2013 Toyota Avalon lost control and struck a tree on the east side of the road near the Jack in the Box restaurant.
The impact tore the car in half and the passenger fell onto the road, said Officer Randy Raduechel of the Modesto Police Department, which is handling the crash investigation.
The pursuit started about 10 minutes earlier when a Ceres police officer spotted the Avalon in the parking lot of a closed business complex at the northwest corner of Mitchell and Don Pedro roads.
When the officer pulled into the parking lot to investigate, the Avalon’s lights came on and it “began to quickly move through the parking lot,” according to a press release from Ceres police.
As the Avalon pulled onto southbound Mitchell Road, another Ceres officer who was in the area got behind it. The officers initiated a stop as it turned east onto Service Road.
The Avalon pulled into a Chevron gas station on Service and stopped briefly before accelerating out of the gas station and back toward Mitchell, where it went north.
The Avalon was traveling in excess of 100 mph as it headed north on Mitchell, according to the press release.
Spike strips were laid across the roadway at Mitchell and Fowler Road, but the suspect drove around them, police said.
Ceres police requested the assistance of the Stanislaus County Sheriff Department’s helicopter, but it was not available, according to the press release.
As the Avalon crossed Yosemite Boulevard, it gained distance from the lead pursuing officer, who could at that point only see its taillights.
The driver of the Avalon lost control of the vehicle as it entered the intersection of Scenic Drive and Oakdale Road. It struck a tree, broke in two upon impact, and rolled several times.
The driver, identified as 24-year-old Devin Long of Jamestown, ran from the the wreckage, toward businesses on the east side of Oakdale Road.
According to the press release, officers initially ran after him, but their attention was diverted to an unconscious 28-year-old woman who was found on the ground among the wreckage.
Officers requested medical assistance and began providing first aid, but she was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.
After an approximately 40-minute search, Long was located by Modesto police in a nearby trash enclosure, the release said. The Avalon was determined to have been stolen out of Sonora.
Oakdale Road between Scenic and County Center 3 Court remained closed several hours after the crash. MPD and Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office personnel worked the scene, while Ceres officers were with the driver.
“As with any pursuit, an administrative review will take place to ensure department policy was followed,” said Ceres Police Sgt. Greg Yotsuya.
There were two officers initially involved in the pursuit, and a third joined midway, he said.
Ceres Police Chief Richard Collins last month said the department adjusted its training after a 2017 high-speed pursuit that ended in south Modesto, where an officer and a sergeant fatally shot the suspect.
That pursuit also reached speeds over 100 mph and was initiated because of a traffic violation for speeding.
Collins said that essentially the department wants officers to “take a moment” and think before pursuing someone.
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 7:16 AM.
