Driver Flees Scene Of Fatal Novato Crash: CHP

NOVATO, CA —A passenger in a vehicle pursued by authorities in Novato was killed in collision early Wednesday morning according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver, who fled the crash scene, and two other passengers, all remained unaccounted for according to the CHP.

CHP officers were stopped at the northbound 101 truck scales in Terra Linda at around 1:45 a.m. saw a speeding vehicle, identified as a Toyota Avalon, and immediately gave chase, the agency said.

The officers caught up with the Toyota as it approached the Lucas Valley Road off ramp and initiated an enforcement stop according to the CHP.

The Toyota came to a stop on the Lucas Valley Road off ramp but shortly afterward the right front and right rear passengers ran away from the scene according to the CHP.

The officers immediately exited the vehicle and began to give chase when they observed the
Toyota quickly accelerate away from the scene, the CHP said.

The officers couldn’t locate the Toyota when they reentered the freeway but were led to the vehicle by a plume of dirt and dust they noticed as they passed Bel Marin Keys offramp.

The officers returned to the offramp and found the Toyota with major collision damage after striking a stoplight, the CHP said.

Officers on scene quickly determined that the driver ran away from scene toward the Safeway shopping center to the south according to the CHP.

A Marin County Sheriff deputy located a passenger in the left rear seat who was unresponsive when contacted, the CHP said.

The deputy administered life-saving measures, but the passenger was subsequently pronounced deceased on scene by paramedics.

The Sheriff’s Office, Novato Police Department, and a CHP helicopter aided officers in an unsuccessful search for the driver.

The two passengers that ran away are unaccounted for too according to the CHP.

The driver is not believed to be armed and at no time were they considered a danger to the public, the CHP said.

The crash and subsequent investigation led to road closures at the intersection of Nave Drive northbound Highway 101 and the Bel Marin Keys offramp until around 10:30 a.m., the CHP said.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact CHP Officer Kevin Giannone
at (415) 924-1100.