Bakersfield,
Kern County,
CA
USA
Fri. Jun. 26, 2015
Summary:
Police Officer David Nelson was killed in a vehicle crash while involved in a vehicle pursuit at approximately 2:40 am.
The pursuit started when he attempted to conduct a traffic stop of an unlicensed vehicle. He chased the car for several blocks until his cruiser left the roadway and struck a retaining wall and a utility pole at the intersection of Mt. Vernon Avenue and Panorama Drive, causing the engine compartment to ignite. Responding officers located his vehicle and removed him from the wreckage before the patrol car became engulfed in flames.
He was transported to Kern Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
The vehicle he was pursuing continued to flee and the driver remains at large.