Lake Elsinore Motorcyclist Dies In Crash While Fleeing From Police

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — A 22-year-old Lake Elsinore man who fled from police on a motorcycle Sunday crashed his bike and died in North County San Diego, according to the Escondido Police Department.

The incident began shortly after 12 p.m. when the California Highway Patrol tried to pull the speeding motorcyclist over on southbound Interstate 15 at state Route 76, according to the police department.

The man, whose identity was pending, sped away into Valley Center and then west into Escondido. CHP officers lost sight of him at Valley Parkway and Ash Street in Escondido, which stopped the chase, according to police.

Meanwhile, the CHP notified the Escondido Police Department and requested assistance.

A short time later, an Escondido police officer spotted the motorcyclist a few blocks from where the CHP chase ended.

When the officer tried to pull the biker over, he again sped away, this time heading east on Escondido's Washington Avenue.

The chase ended when the man ran a red light on eastbound Washington at Harding Street and crashed with a vehicle that had a green light.

The motorcyclist lost control, was vaulted from his bike and propelled into the front of another vehicle, according to police.

Officers provided life-saving measures, but the motorcyclist died at the scene.

One of the drivers involved in the incident was sent to a local hospital with pain complaints. The other motorist escaped injury, police said.

"At this time, it [is] unknown whether alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash," according to the Escondido Police Department.

The fatality remains under investigation by Escondido police. Anyone with information about the incident was asked to contact Officer Paul Smyth at 760-839-4423.