Two persons who were engaged in a high-speed pursuit with a Ceres Police officer Thursday were killed in a crash just north of Turlock.
The crash happened at approximately 9:06 p.m. at Keyes Road and Geer Road. Three others in the two vehicles sustained major injuries.
Ceres officers were not involved in the collision and attempted to render medical aid to the victims.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Ceres police were in pursuit of a 2016 Ford Fusion that refused to pull over. The Fusion was fleeing eastbound on Keyes Road and entered the intersection at Geer Road where it collided with a southbound 2016 Ford Mustang driven by Joshua Guillen, 17, of Hughson. The impact ejected both the sedan’s driver and a 20-year-old front seat male passenger, neither of whom were seat-belted. Both died instantly.
Two passengers in the rear seat of the fleeing car sustained major injuries. Jesus Vega, 18, and Alexander Rincoln, 24, both of Modesto, were rushed to a local hospital.
CHP investigators haven’t determined if Vega or Rincoln were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
Guillen sustained major injuries and was transported to a local hospital.
The names of the deceased have not been released by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office, but at a vigil held at the site of the collision Friday night, friends and family confirmed the identity of one of the deceased as Fernando Barajas.
It is unknown at this time if drugs and/or alcohol contributed to this collision.
The chase began just before 9 p.m. when a Modesto Police officer made contact with four occupants of the Ford Fusion parked near the intersection of Hatch Road and Jim Way. The driver fled eastbound on Hatch Road and made its way onto southbound Highway 99 where Ceres Police spotted it near the Mitchell Road off-ramp and followed and awaited backup up officers. The driver pulled off the freeway and made his way onto Rhode Road.
Before the Ceres officer could attempt a stop of the vehicle, the driver began speeding and driving recklessly around vehicles on the shoulder in an attempt to flee. The chase went through Keyes prior to the fatal crash at Keyes and Geer roads, which was closed until approximately 4:30 a.m. Friday.
