CAR COLLISION: Pursuit ends in fatal collision in Oakland

November 4, 2010

Oakland – At least two people were killed early Thursday morning after a car being pursued by two California Highway Patrol officers rammed into an SUV, authorities said.

The driver being pursued was identified as 19-year-old Connectis Guiton, while the driver of the SUV was Mark Aragon, 32. Both were Oakland residents, according to CHP officer Rob Tuazon.

The incident began when the CHP officers spotted the BMW driven by Guiton speeding along the westbound lane of Interstate 580 near the 150th Avenue exit in San Leandro. They tried to pull over the car but it kept running. In their patrol cruiser, the officers started chasing the BMW around 2 am.

The vehicle then got off the freeway at Foothill Boulevard and drove on to MacArthur Boulevard exit. He went further north to 106th Avenue and smashed into a Chevrolet Suburban driven by Aragon. Both vehicles spun due to the impact and ended up in a parking lot of MacArthur Auto Center. The SUV landed on its side.

Guiton’s BMW burst into flames but he was pulled out of it. He later died at Highland Hospital. Aragon died on the scene.

According to the relatives of victims, both were on their way to work when the accident happened. Aragon works at Federal Express at Oakland International Airport while Guiton was hired at the Port of Oakland a couple of months ago.

Tuazon said that CHP officers are authorized to continue a pursuit to stop a speeding vehicle depending on traffic conditions, weather, and other factors. If the traffic is busy, the officer will have to decide whether to continue the pursuit or not. However, MacArthur Boulevard is not known as a busy traffic area at 2 am.

The area of the crash was closed as police and CHP investigated the accident.