A man who led highway patrol officers on a pursuit through southbound Interstate 5 Saturday morning had to be pulled out of a burning car after crashing his car in an embankment.
California Highway Patrol officers initiated the pursuit at around 2:30 a.m. on southbound I-5 near Lake Forest Drive in the Irvine area. The pursuit, at times, continued at high speeds up to 125 mph traveling south of I-5, CHP Sgt. Eric Nicholas said.
CHP officers deployed a spike strip near Japatul Road in the Camp Pendleton area which deflated several of the vehicle's tires, Nicholas said.
Shortly after, the vehicle lost control and went over the side of the freeway, near the Santa Margarita River, where it went down an embankment and caught fire. CHP officers quickly went down the hill and made contact with the driver who was trapped in his vehicle and extricated him and pulled him to safety, Nicholas said.
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“Had they not pulled him to safety he undoubtedly would have perished in the vehicle not being able to get out, with the vehicle becoming fully involved," Nicholas said.
Officials provided no further information about the pursuit or the driver's condition.
