March 31, 2016 Two people involved in a pursuit with law enforcement were killed when they crashed into a parked fighter jet at the Lemoore Naval Air
March 31, 2016
Two people involved in a pursuit with law enforcement were killed when they crashed into a parked fighter jet at the Lemoore Naval Air Station located in California’s Central Valley. The passenger died at the scene, and the driver died at an area hospital.
Capt. Mony Ashliman, the commanding officer of the air station, said there was some damage to the aircraft, and preventative measures need to take place to prevent this from happening again. The two people who were killed had no affiliation with the military.
California Highway Patrol officers approached a Jeep Cherokee that was parked on the side of the road in Kings County. As they got close to the Jeep, it suddenly sped off at a high rate of speed, and the officers began pursuing the vehicle.
CHP officers called off the pursuit when the Jeep began weaving through traffic and driving on the wrong side of the road, but they later picked up the pursuit in Fresno County.
The Jeep drove through the air station’s gates before security forces could respond, and it eventually crashed into the back of a fighter jet. The air station was not considered a target, and investigators are checking to see how the Jeep was able to bypass security.