Investigators are searching for a driver they believe witnessed a crash in Lancaster that killed a suspected drunken driver whose vehicle slammed into a sheriff’s patrol vehicle, injuring a deputy.
The crash occurred about 1:30 a.m. March 11 near the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in the area of 15th Street West and Avenue F, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The deceased driver was identified by the coroner’s office as Dominique Johnson, 23, of Los Angeles.
A two-man CHP unit spotted two cars parked on the northbound side of the freeway off-ramp to West Avenue F, according to Deputy Joana Warren of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
The unit stopped to see if the motorists needed help, but one car — a 1998 Volvo — drove off, turning east on Avenue F. Meanwhile, the driver of the other car, a small SUV, said the Volvo had rear-ended him.
The CHP unit followed the Volvo and tried to pull the car over. However, the Volvo veered to the left and ran head-on into a sheriff’s patrol car responding to another call for service, Warren said.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene and a male passenger in the Volvo suffered moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment, Warren said.
The 11-year veteran female deputy driving the marked black-and-white patrol car, was rushed to a hospital, where she was treated and later released, according to the sheriff’s Lancaster Station.
“Investigators are encouraging the driver of the SUV to contact the California Highway Patrol as soon as possible,” CHP Public Information Officer Gil Hernandez said.
The CHP wants anyone who was traveling in the area at the time of the crashes or has contact information for anyone who was in the area to call Hernandez at (661) 948-9541. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 222-TIPS.
