Manslaughter Charge Filed In Fatal Murrieta Cal Oaks Road/I-15 Crash

MURRIETA, CA — A 23-year-old man accused of leading a deadly April 15 police chase on southbound Interstate 15 and crashing at the California Oaks Road exit in Murrieta, is facing a slew of charges — including manslaughter — court records show.

Timmy Lee Johnson Jr. of Lancaster was scheduled for arraignment Friday on felony charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, evading a peace officer causing injury/death, and hit-and-run causing death/injury. He also faces sentencing enhancements of fleeing a crime scene, causing an accident that resulted in injury/death, and committing a crime as a convicted felon.

Bail for Johnson was set at $2 million.

On Wednesday, the California Highway Patrol released details about the fatal crash. The incident began around 4:19 a.m. April 15 when a CHP officer on patrol spotted a gray Jeep Compass without a license plate heading south on Interstate 15, north of Magnolia Avenue, in the Corona area.

The officer tried to pull the Jeep over, but the driver sped away and a chase began, CHP Officer Javier Navarro reported.

The Jeep reached speeds up to 127 miles per hour, exiting and re-entering the freeway several times, according to Navarro.

The driver continued south to Murrieta and tried to exit I-15 at California Oaks Road, but crashed at the offramp.

The Jeep rolled and two passengers were ejected; both were sent to Wildomar's Inland Valley Hospital (formerly Inland Valley Medical Center) in serious condition. One of them, a 22-year-old Los Angeles man, died at the hospital shortly after 5:30 a.m. Saturday. He was identified by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau as Trayvon Ford.

The Jeep driver, later identified as Johnson, and another passenger fled on foot. Johnson was quickly found and arrested, according to Navarro.

No other injuries were reported.

The crash remains under investigation and anyone who may have witnessed any part of the incident is asked to call the California Highway Patrol Accident Investigation Unit at 951-637-8000.