By Mary O’KEEFE

Traffic along Honolulu and Montrose avenues and Foothill Boulevard was extremely heavy for hours on Friday, May 2 due to a fatal crash on the eastbound Foothill (210) Freeway.

At about 10:50 a.m. the Ventura County Sheriff’s Dept. requested California Highway Patrol (CHP) take over a pursuit involving a black Honda SUV linked to a retail theft investigation. Officers assigned to the West Valley CHP station assumed control as the pursuit traversed Los Angeles County freeways.  

The 26-year-old male adult driver evaded CHP officers by driving the Honda in excess of 100 miles per hour and utilizing multiple freeway lanes in a reckless manner.  As the pursuit neared the eastbound (210 (Foothill) Freeway west of State Route 2, the driver of the Honda crashed into the rear of a large dump truck, sustaining major injuries. CHP personnel began providing immediate medical aid and requested Advanced Life Saving (ALS) emergency personnel to respond to the scene, who also provided care. However, the driver of the Honda was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver and sole occupant of the truck was unharmed, according to the CHP. 

CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team is investigating the crash. The incident in its entirety is still under investigation. 

The name of the deceased is being withheld by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office pending notification of next of kin.