LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE (CNS) – A grand theft suspect who died fleeing police on the Foothill (210) Freeway in a high-speed pursuit in the La Cañada Flintridge area was identified Saturday by county authorities.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office identified the victim as Matyes Getachew, 26.
The high-speed pursuit of the grand theft suspect wanted in Ventura County ended with a horrific crash Friday on the Foothill (210) Freeway in the La Cañada Flintridge area, killing the fleeing driver.
California Highway Patrol officers entered the pursuit at 10:50 a.m. Friday while the chase was eastbound on the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway at Balboa Boulevard in Granada Hills, according to CHP Officer Erik Larsen.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Department deputies pursued the black Honda SUV until that point, saying it was involved in a theft, Larsen said.
CHP officers on the ground and in the air followed the SUV at speeds of more than 110 mph as it transitioned to the eastbound Foothill Freeway, weaving in and out of lanes, until about 11 a.m., when the left side of the man’s vehicle collided with the rear right corner of an orange dump truck, ripping apart the side of the SUV.
“As the pursuit neared eastbound state Route 210, west of state Route 2, the driver of the Honda crashed into the rear of a large dump truck, sustaining major injuries,” the CHP said in a statement.
CHP officers at the scene performed CPR on Getachew on the bloodied pavement east of Ocean View Boulevard in an area where Glendale, La Canada Flintridge and Montrose converge.
Getachew was pronounced dead at 11:18 a.m. Friday by Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics, Larsen said.
The pursuit started about 10 a.m. after Getachew fled the Target store at 209 W. Ventura Blvd. in Camarillo, pursued by Ventura County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Capt. Jason Karol told City News Service. He was accused of stealing more than $950 in merchandise, which is considered grand theft.
The CHP issued a SigAlert at 11:32 a.m. for lanes 2, 3 and 4 of the Foothill Freeway and lanes 1, 2 and 3 of the transition road to the Glendale (2) Freeway, although all traffic had been stopped since the crash.
The fatal pursuit remained under investigation by the CHP Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team Friday evening.
Anyone with additional information regarding the case was urged to call the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office at 805-654-9511.
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