ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) – An MCAS Miramar-based Marine was arrested following a high-speed pursuit and crash in Escondido that left a woman dead, the Escondido Police Department said.
At around 10:28 p.m. Monday, officers were called to the Dick’s Sporting Goods store on Auto Park Way due to reports of a man and two women stealing merchandise.
When officers arrived, the trio got into a pickup truck and fled, prompting the officers to pursue the vehicle.
Police stated: “Officers pursued the truck east through Escondido onto Washington Avenue, where the driver attempted to make a high-speed turn onto Fig Street," EPD said. "He lost control and collided with a retaining wall. The two female passengers were ejected, and the male driver ran away.”
According to police, one of the women died after arriving at the hospital. The other woman underwent surgery and is expected to survive.
The surviving passenger told police that she “asked the driver to pull over several times, but he refused to let her out of the vehicle,” police stated.
The driver, later identified as 21-year-old John Eugene Brand, was found hiding a block away from where the crash happened, police said. Brand was arrested on suspicion of the following charges:
- 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
Escondido police said Brand is a Marine lance corporal stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, and the truck he was driving in the incident was a Marine-owned vehicle.
“Stolen articles of clothing were recovered from the truck," EPD's press release said.
