Fleeing driver dies after brief pursuit ends in crash

A driver in a pickup died Friday morning after he slammed the truck into a traffic light in Oceanside during a brief chase by deputies, a sheriff ’s official said.

Pool cleaning chemicals spilled in the crash, creating a noxious mix that sent one deputy to the hospital and forced authorities to shut down the intersection until a hazardous materials crew could clean it up.

The incident started with a commercial burglary alarm about 4:30 a.m. from the community pool area of a gated residential community off Shadowridge Drive in Vista, sheriff ’s Lt. Jeff Ford said.

Deputies arrived to find a man passed out in the driver’s seat of a pickup. They also spotted pool equipment in the truck bed and what they suspected were illegal drugs in the center console.

They woke him up, and he quickly drove off. The deputies scrambled back to their patrol vehicle and started looking for him. They soon saw him, turned on their lights and sirens and gave chase.

About 20 seconds later, the pickup slammed head-on into a traffic light pole on Cannon Road at Lake Boulevard in Oceanside, near city’s border with Vista, Ford said.

Deputies jumped out to pull the man from the wreckage, but were overwhelmed by the fumes from the now-spilled pool chemicals.

The chemicals mixed together “creating a large plume, most likely muriatic acid,” Vista Fire Battalion Chief Brian Gregson told OnScene TV.

One deputy was taken to a hospital with inhalation injuries, Gregson said.

Vista fire crews were able to take the man’s body out of the mangled truck.

A hazardous materials crew was called in to clean up the chemical spill, Oceanside police Lt. Scott Garrett said. The road reopened before 3 p.m.

Oceanside police will investigate the crash because it occurred in their jurisdiction. The Sheriff’s Department will conduct a separate, parallel investigation.

The county Medical Examiner’s Office is expected to release the name of the driver after they notify his family of his death.