ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) — A local Marine is behind bars after leading police on a high-speed chase through an Escondido neighborhood. One female passenger died and another was injured when they crashed.
ABC 10News spoke with the man who lives at the home where that chase ended in tragedy.
“I was in shock. I was in shock…I could not believe what was happening,” said the man, who requested to remain anonymous.
The Escondido resident says he was cooking dinner on Monday night when he heard a loud crash. He ran outside to find a Dodge Ram had smashed through a wall on his front lawn and two passengers were seriously injured.
“It was traumatizing,” he said.
Police say this all began with the Marine and two women shoplifting at a Dick’s Sporting Goods on Auto Park Way. When officers arrived, all three got inside the Dodge Ram and sped off.
ABC 10News has since uncovered the truck belongs to the Marine Corps and the Marine involved was not authorized to be driving it at the time.
“If we got Marines out here shoplifting and high-speed chases in Marine vehicles…we’re heading in the wrong direction,” said the Escondido resident.
Police have identified the driver as 21-year-old Lance Corporal John Eugene Brand, a Marine stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
They say Brand lost control trying to make a high speed turn onto Fig street. The two women inside were ejected. Officers found Brand hiding nearby. He was arrested and now faces several charges including:
- Vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence
- Kidnapping
- Evading police with wanton disregard for safety
- Evading police causing serious injury or death
- Evading a police officer
- Hit-and-run resulting in death or injury
- Burglary
- Conspiracy
Police say one woman underwent surgery and is expected to survive. The other died at the hospital. Police are not releasing the names of the two women involved pending notification to their families.
“I’m speechless…at a loss for words. An innocent life lost for something as senseless as a high-speed chase that could have been avoided,” added the Escondido resident.
