The driver killed in a high-speed chase in SLO on Labor Day was a 23-year-old man from Ventura, but the CHP isn’t releasing his name until relatives are notified. The passenger, still unknown, was a Hispanic male between the ages of 18-25.
CHP officer Joe Vega says both men are transients. They were in a stolen 1998 BMW from Santa Barbara.
The pursuit began about 8:45 Monday night when the CHP tried to pull the pair over near Spyglass Drive northbound on Highway 101.
The driver of the BMW sped away at speeds more than 100 mph, got off the freeway at the Avila offramp, turned right on Ontario Road, and eventually crashed when he hit a hillside just past San Luis Bay Drive.
The car rolled several times and caught fire. Both men died immediately. Neither was wearing a seatbelt.
-K.H.
This article appears in Sep 8-15, 2005.